China and Africa:New Partnership for Old Pals

From August 27 to 28， 2014， the 2nd Forum on China- Africa Local Government Cooperation， themed “Cooperation， Development， and Win-Win，” will be held in Beijing， sponsored by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （CPAFFC）. Since its inception in 2012， the forum has been the premier platform for dialogue between Chinese and African local government officials. This year， top Chinese leadership， as well as presidents of African countries such as Ghana， Guinea， and Somalia， have expressed intentions to attend the forum， marking a milestone in the history of China-Africa strategic partnership.

Brotherhood

China and Africa are separated by the Eurasian Continent and the Indian Ocean， but the lengthy geographic distance doesn’t hin- der the emotional intimacy between Chinese and African people.

In the 1950s and 60s， China suffered a diplomatic blockade by Western countries， while many African nations were struggling to gain independence from Western colonization. Perhaps these similar experiences and interests inspired the long-standing “brotherly”ties between China and Africa.

In the late 1960s， Tanzania and Zambia sought to build a railway linking the two countries shortly after gaining independence. Countries including the former Soviet Union， Britain and Canada， as well as the World Bank， refused to offer aid， leaving only China willing to help. The railway with a price tag of US$500 million remains China’s largest aid project abroad. Since then， China has constantly expanded its aid to Africa. By 2011， China had helped African countries build more than 2，000 kilometers of railways， 3，000 kilometers of highways， over 100 schools and 60 hospitals，and absolved debt by more than 20 billion yuan.

In return， African countries have also provided selfless support for China. In 1971， the 26th Session of the United Nations General Assembly voted to return China’s UN seat to the People’s Republic. Of 76 supporting votes， 26 came from African representatives. For this reason， Chairman Mao Zedong remarked， “It was our African brothers who carried us into the United Nations.” Thanks to long-term respect for the one-China principle by African countries， attempts by Taiwan to rejoin the United Nations have failed a dozen times since the 1990s. African countries also supported China’s bids to host the Olympics and the World Expo.

Partnership

After decades， the primary tone of China-Africa ties has shifted from “mutual support” to “cooperation.”

The Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation， held in November 2006， was considered a “l(fā)andmark” in the history of relations between China and Africa.

China has been the African continent’s largest trade partner since 2009， and Africa is one of China’s major sources of imports， as well as its second largest overseas engineering market and a rising investment destination. In 2013， China-Africa trade surpassed US$210 billion， more than 2，000 times the volume of 1960. A report released by Standard Chartered Bank indicates that trade volume between China and Africa will reach US$320 billion in 2015， doubling the figure of 2011， and US$1.7 trillion by 2030. To facilitate African products’ entry into the Chinese market， China removed tariffs on 190 categories of products from 28 of the leastdeveloped African countries since January 1， 2005.

In the context of fast-growing economic cooperation between China and Africa， a number of Chinese enterprises have settled in African countries. However， while creating job opportunities for locals， some Chinese companies didn’t meet their obligations in terms of environmental protection， social responsibility， and observing local traditions and taboos. Despite such problems and cultural differences， China and Africa are still reliant on each other. In 2011， when interviewed by Financial Times at Summer Davos in Dalian， a coastal city in Liaoning Province， Guinea-Conakry President Alpha Condé noted， “Guinea and China have established a win-win relationship. We aren’t just trading our natural resources for China’s funds. Our eyes are on forming a long-term， solid partnership with China.”

Of course， economic cooperation is just one piece of the China-Africa partnership. In 2006， the Chinese government published policies related to Africa， in which China called for “comprehensive cooperation” with African countries. The two sides have constantly increased cooperation in fields such as culture， technology， and tourism. In 2013， in a speech delivered during a visit to Tanzania， Chinese President Xi Jinping specifically mentioned African artists in China， the Chinese television drama A Beautiful Daughter-in-Law Era that became popular in Africa， and the popular blog of a Chinese young couple who spent their honeymoon and Valentine’s Day in Africa.

Both sides value such a sincere， win-win partnership. In April 2013， when meeting a Chinese delegation headed by Xu Kaiyu， executive secretary-general of the Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation， Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama praised the lasting friendship between Ghana and China and remarked that Ghana would strengthen cooperation with China in areas such as trade and investment to achieve development based on mutual benefits.

Somalia was the first eastern African country to establish diplomatic relations with China. In July 2014， when he met Wei Hongtian， chargé d’affaires of China’s Embassy in Somalia， Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud noted that the development of Somalia depends on support from the international community including China which he called “a reliable friend and partner” of Somalia.

New Connotations

Three of the four countries Xi Jinping visited during his maiden overseas voyage as Chinese president were in Africa， testifying to the importance of China-Africa relations. During his visit to Tanzania， Xi delivered a speech at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center， built with assistance from China， declaring that China and Africa have become a community of shared destiny and will remain trusted friends and sincere partners forever， and that the two should support and help each other to realize the Chinese Dream and the African Dream， respectively.

Ovidio Manuel Barbosa Pequeno， special representative of the African Union （AU） in Guinea-Bissau， commented that the“shared destiny” Xi mentioned in his speech will introduce new connotations to Sino-African ties in the future and further clarify and specify the concept of “all-round China-Africa partnership.”

In May 2014， Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Ethiopia， Nigeria， Angola， and Kenya， as well as AU headquarters. It was his first trip to Africa as Chinese premier. During his eight-day visit， Li laid framework for China-Africa cooperation， which is considered an interpretation and roadmap of the concept of “community with shared destiny” that Xi mentioned.

According to the recently-published Outline of China-AU Cooperation in Poverty Alleviation， both sides agree to strengthen cooperation in medical care and jointly implement a program to promote high-yield agriculture， and China will dispatch 2，000 agricultural technicians and administrators to Africa as well as providing greater assistance to Africa in areas most affecting people’s livelihood， such as drinking water and epidemic prevention and treatment. Within the framework of China-Africa cooperation， China also pledged aid of US$10 million to Africa to protect its wildlife. China also plans to help construct the China-Africa Joint Research Center in Kenya to strengthen Sino-African cooperation in environment protection.

China and Africa have already formed multi-leveled cooperative mechanisms ranging from state-to-state to people-to-people. The Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation is a local-government-to-local-government cooperative mechanism. Feng Zuoku， vice president of CPAFFC， notes that cooperation between local governments of various countries not only enhances friendship， but also brings pragmatic results. Only when they better understand each other will Chinese and African cities optimally carry out economic， trade and cultural cooperation.

Two years ago， the first Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation in Beijing attracted more than 300 governors， mayors， and entrepreneurs from African countries， as well as 1，800 Chinese representatives. In her speech at the opening ceremony of the forum， CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin declared， “In the context of globalization， local government-level cooperation between China and Africa will accelerate social progress. Through learning from each other， both sides will blaze new roads to development， thus achieving sustainable growth.”

Over more than six decades， the primary tone of the ChinaAfrica relationship has passed mutual political support to reach economic cooperation， and finally comprehensive cooperation. Since South Africa joined the BRICS countries， more extensive BRICS-Africa cooperation is emerging. During his Africa trip last year， Xi Jinping added， “I believe that the China-Africa friendship will last forever， just like the eternal flows of the Yangtze and Congo rivers.”