What is the relationship between China and Africa all about? There are a lot of misconceptions about this in American and European media, which enjoy portraying it in sinister ways as a one-sided relationship through talk of so-called “debt traps”.
While Africa is a large and diverse continent with many peoples and cultures, the relationship between China and African nations is marked by a long-established sense of solidarity and shared experiences.
Addressing the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Dakar, Senegal, on Nov 29, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that “China will never forget African countries “profound friendship”. During the meeting, Xi pledged the donation of 1 billion additional vaccines to Africa in wake of the Omicron variant, provide new development assistance, and carry out several projects on poverty alleviation and agriculture.
China and Africa are part of what is known as “The Global South” — a generic term which refers to countries that are of a lower income and have lacked the privileges of the “Global North”, which primarily refers to developed American and European nations.
Global South nations are countries that, in their experience, have often been subject to colonialism, oppression or domination by wealthier nations, and it is only in the last century that many have gained their formal independence. Existing in a far less secure environment, Global South countries, as a result, prioritize attaining economic development and escaping from poverty, as well as protecting national sovereignty.
It was in the 1950s and 60s, from the common historical experiences, that the foundations of the broader China-Africa relationship were laid, particularly through incentives such as the non-aligned movement which sought to avoid the power blocs of the Cold War and forge friendship on the premise of post-colonial solidarity. As Xi noted in his address, “Over the past 65 years, China and Africa have forged unbreakable fraternity in the struggle against imperialism and colonialism”.
The wider relationship was built on shared principles that the developed American and European economies had not been prepared to recognize, including aspects such as seeing each other as equals, mutual respect for national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.
While the developed American and European economies have sought to force their ideological vision on Africa, economically exploit the continent, condition aid and development upon political changes — as we are seeing with the United States and Ethiopia right now — and undermine their sovereignty, African countries have found China as a more established and trustworthy partner of mutual understanding, allowing both sides to transcend any differences in political systems or culture and embrace ironclad “South-South solidarity”.
China understands what it means to be colonized, targeted by the developed American and European economies and be treated as an inferior, hence it offers African countries the diplomatic equality they do not receive otherwise.
Likewise, China’s economic and development relationship with Africa is not exploitative or a so-called “debt trap” — instead, it marks a situation wherein China is able to help Africa through the experience of having rapidly escaped poverty itself with a highly useful development model. On Nov 29, China again waived payments of non-interest loans by poorest African economies. China does not attach political strings or conditions on its lending, aid or trade with African countries.
In the 1980s, developed American and European financial institutions forced drastic neoliberal changes on Africa which engineered severe economic decline and depletion of living standards. Since that time, China has engineered the way out for Africa to continue to grow again, allowing bilateral trade to boom, developing large export markets for African commodities, establishing local manufacturing and building game-changing infrastructure. This is what has made China a preferential partner to African countries than Americans and some Europeans, who treat the continent as a subordinate party to be “helped” or tailored to their vision.
As a result, while countries such as the United States suddenly turn their attention back to Africa and decide it is “important” after years of neglect, amid a goal to compete with China, nations on the continent will remember from the historical legacies and shared sentiments as to who their most trusty and hardy partner continues to be. This is a relationship conceived not on inequality, on a zero-sum game or opportunism, but on a shared experience. Thus, China-Africa ties will continue to advance and prosper.
The author is a British political and international relations analyst.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.