By He Wenping

Rediscovering China in Africa Confronting Western myths on Sino-African relations

By He Wenping

The author is a research fellow with the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

The intensity of China’s engagement with Africa over the past decade has attracted global attention. However, there is a big gap between China and the West over perceptions of the rapidly growing Sino-African relations. Chinese academics say the decade-long rapid growth of Sino-African relations is the natural outcome of a half century of friendship and cooperation between China and African countries. The relations are based on mutual respect, sincere friendship, equality and mutual benefit.

But many in the Western media, think tanks and even some politicians portray China’s Africa policy as neocolonialism. They claim China takes over the African market with cheap goods, competes for natural resources such as oil, and exports China’s development mode. They also say China’s nostrings aid to so-called “rogue states” hinders democratic progress in those countries. Given Western dominance in international public opinion, this misreading has taken a toll on the sound growth of Sino-African relations.

Addressing accusations

In the last decade, shored up by the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), cooperation between China and Africa in trade, investment, infrastructure construction and development aid have made huge progress. China is the largest trade partner of Africa. Trade volume soared from $10 billion in 2000 to more than $160 billion in 2011. In addition, Africa has become China’s second largest project contracting market and fourth largest overseas investment destination.

The West began to explore and establish colonies in Africa in the 15th century. By contrast, though China and Africa came into contact with each other as early as the second century B.C., substantial Sino-African relations did not start until 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was founded. In the past 60 years, especially since the establishment of the FOCAC in 2000, Sino-African economic relations have grown by leaps and bounds, making some Western countries uncomfortable. In the eyes of Western media and political fgures clinging to outdated Cold War perspectives, the booming Sino-African relationship has encroached upon the West’s sphere of infuence.

Those Western politicians, media and NGOs that have such feelings have put the Chinese Government and Chinese enterprises doing business in Africa in the spotlight. They tend to exaggerate China’s faws in Africa. A few negative cases were overstated as universal conduct. Normal resources development on the continent was described as “resource grabbing.” Successful bids by Chinese companies were smeared as “under-the-counter”or “government-backed” dealings despite the fact the Chinese companies outbid foreign competitors with their high effciency and low cost. Moreover, China’s strict policy of noninterference in the domestic affairs of other countries has also been a target of the West’s attack. Some Western countries claim that the Chinese policy gives disguised support for“rogue states” or “failed states.” They say it isn’t conducive to democracy or to the antiauthoritarian and anti-corruption campaigns the West promotes in Africa.

Those accusations sound reasonable at frst, but they fail to hold up under careful analysis. First of all, the development of a country relies on its own effort. What’s more, democracy and good governance rely on a certain development level. They are associated with the improvement of education as well as legal and democratic awareness. Western countries have worked for hundreds of years to improve their democratic systems. Therefore, it is unrealistic to achieve democracy in African countries in a short time by shouting slogans.

Sino-African economic and trade cooperation has made great contributions to infrastructure construction, raising people’s living standards and reducing poverty in African countries, which helps establish the necessary economic and human resources foundations for those countries to achieve democracy and good governance. Statistics show Sino-African trade in recent years has contributed to 20 percent of Africa’s economic growth. In the fnal analysis, African development lies in the hands of African people.

Revealing the truth

Chinese scholars have tried to clarify the Western misrepresentation of Sino-African relations. More and more foreign scholars and foreign media have also spoken objectively about Sino-African relations.

In 2009, a renowned scholar on Sino-African relations, Professor Deborah Brautigam of American University, published her book,The Dragon’s Gift: the Real Story of China in Africa, which is based on her 20 years of field survey experience. The book tells many true stories about China helping African countries with social development and poverty reduction. It caused a big shock among academics concentrating on Sino-African relations and China studies. It aroused both appreciation and criticism. Many expressed admiration for the objectivity of the book, but many others treated it with a degree of disdain. This case shows it is much more diffcult for Western observers to be objective when discussing Sino-African relations than their Chinese counterparts.

In recent years, I have travelled extensively in Africa as a Chinese scholar. A general impression is that despite criticisms and negative reports on Sino-African relations by the media and NGOs, positive and constructive views are still the mainstream. Most far-sighted African people believe that though China develops natural resources in Africa, it is totally different from the way Western colonists did in the past, which was indeed greedy exploitation. China has provided huge investment and much infrastructure construction for African countries while exploiting resources.

The rapid development of China in the last 30 years shows African countries should no longer regard the Western model as the only solution to their problems. They can look to China and capitalize on the fast-growing Chinese economy to benefit their own development. China’s involvement in African affairs is a new and precious opportunity for the development of Africa. African countries should not miss the chance.

As they benefit from trade with China and Chinese-sponsored infrastructure projects, ordinary African people welcome China’s growing presence on the continent. Two years ago, on a business trip to Rwanda, I came across a young man in a street of Kigali, capital of the country, and talked with him. The man quoted French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as saying that China was a sleeping lion. The Chinese sleeping lion has now awakened and he can hear its roar in Kigali, he said, adding that it signals new hope for his country. In addition to efforts by scholars and the media to dispel misconceptions, the personal experience of ordinary Africans counts when it comes to telling the true story of the Sino-African relationship.

yanwei@bjreview.com

DING HAITAO

DING HAITAO