Investing in the Future

　　In recent years, as China’s presence in Africacontinues to grow, so too have the scathing reports fromthe Western media criticizing China’s presence on the continent.They claim that the sole purpose of China’s involvementon the continent is harvesting Africa’s resources in aprocess that has been dubbed “neo-colonialism.”

　　But on the ground, opinions differ. Ethiopian PrimeMinister Hailemariam Dessalegn believes that the Chinesepresence on the continent has had a “benign influence.”“China’s presence in Africa has also gone a long way instimulating a continent wide expansion of infrastructurethat has begun to narrow the competitiveness gap,” saidDessalegn in a speech delivered at Beijing Foreign StudiesUniversity (BFSU) in Beijing on June 14, 2013.

　　Dessalegn, who was on his maiden voyage to Chinasince he took office last year, explained that this gap hadalways stood in the way of Africa’s successful entry intothe global economy as an able partner, which can assistin global re-balancing and in helping the world find a lessvolatile economic equilibrium.

　　He Wenping, Director of the African Research Section atthe Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of WestAsian and African Studies said that apart from assistance,trade and direct investment, China’s entry into Africa hasattracted other countries’ attention, and thus in a way,is promoting their investment in and cooperation withAfrican countries.

　　Apart from his engagement at BFSU, Dessalegn alsoheld separate meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping,his Chinese counterpart Premier Li Keqiang, and Zhang Dejiang,Chairman of the Standing Committee of the NationalPeople’s Congress during his four-day visit on June 12-15.

　　Dessalegn, who is also the current chairperson of the AUAssembly, spoke highly of the China-Africa new strategicpartnership, which, in his view, has promoted the developmentand transformation of the continent.

　　Pushing African integration

　　African unity and integration have long been a dream andgoal of African leaders and people since they won their independence.

　　Although continental integration is still facedwith many challenges, Dessalegn believes China has playeda positive and constructive role in facilitating this process.

　　“Africa can compete globally only if itmanages to carryout massive infrastructural expansion in sectors such as telecommunication,energy generation and in building efficienttransportation systems,” he said.

　　Li Anshan, Director of the Center for African Studies atPeking University, said China can play an even bigger rolein facilitating African integration. “China can help facilitate Africanintegration through the construction of infrastructureand the information super highway,” he said.

　　A report from Standard Bank of South Africa shows thattwo-thirds of the funds for infrastructural construction inAfrica are from China. Meanwhile, Chinese enterprises haveconstructed a large number of influential projects in areassuch as power generation, telecommunications, transportationand energy, benefiting both sides.

　　“Besides this, China can also deepen its cooperation withthe AU and sub-regional organizations through assistance orinvestment, and thereby help advance the regional integrationprocess in Africa,” Li added.

　　On January 28, 2012, the China-built AU Headquarterswas transferred to the pan-African organization. “Whichother friend of Africa would be willing to fund, design, buildand maintain a new $200 million AU headquarters in themiddle of a global financial crisis?” asked an article publishedon allafrica.com.

　　In addition to bringing economic benefits, African integration also has political significance, according to YangLihua, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of SocialSciences’ Institute of West Asian and African Studies. “Africanintegration can help promote intra-regional trade and eco-nomic development within Africa, and can also help thecontinent secure a place and voice on the global stage tosafeguard African interests,” she commented.

　　Less aid, more investment

　　Capacity building is another challenge facing the continent,according to Seyoum Mesfin, Ethiopian Ambassadorto China. “Africa’s human resources have to be transformedinto human capital, because we have to advancein education, science and technology in order to be ableto fully develop and utilize the natural resources to ensurethe development of the continent,” he said.

　　Tantamount to capacity building and integration isthe need to shift from an Africa that relies on foreign aidto a continent that attracts foreign investment, accordingto Dessalegn. China is a major investor in Africa. TakeEthiopia for example, over 400 Chinese companies haveset up businesses in that country, and China has also setup a special economic zone there.

　　Apart from the traditional areas of investment suchas in the extractive sector, Dessalegn suggested thatChinese investment in Africa can be expanded to othersectors, such as manufacturing, because these sectorscreate more jobs and ensure skills and technologytransfer.

　　Culturally entwined

　　During Dessalegn’s visit, he also attended the unveilingof BFSU’s Research Center for African Languages andCultures. He believes language learning and culturalexchanges play a vital role in enhancing people-to-peoplerelations between China and Africa.

　　Among the 58 foreign languages taught at BFSU,three are African languages: Hausa, Swahili and Zulu,while the widely used languages in Africa such as English,French, Arabic and Portuguese are also taught in theuniversity. Amharic, Ethiopia’s working language, will betaught from September, according to Professor Han Zhen,BFSU’s President.

　　BFSU also plans to cooperate with Ethiopian universitiesin language teaching and cultural studies, studentsand faculty exchanges, as well as inviting Amharic languageexperts to teach at the university.

　　“Africa, with nearly 1 billion population, China, with 1.3billion population, we keep the balance of the globe.” saidDessalegn. “So if you enhance the partnership betweenAfrica and China in such a way that our twopeoples can better understand each other interms of culture and language, that meanswe can lead the world in the political andeconomic way.”

　　During his meeting with Dessalegn,Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that Chinais also willing to enhance cultural exchangeswith African countries, including Ethiopia,deepening cooperation in education, cultureand tourism.

　　Looking into the future cooperation, Dessalegn believesChina-Africa new type of strategic partnership is notonly key for mutual progress but is also critical for fairnessand the rule of law in the current international order.“Africa and China should harmonize their efforts in areasof UN reform, climate change and sensitive peace andsecurity issues throughout Africa and beyondin the interest of finding lasting solutions toour common problems and challenges,” saidDessalegn.

　　Premier Li also called for more communicationon international and regional issues ofimportance. “China will continue to supportAfrica’s peace, development and integration,help the continent’s countries increasetheir development capabilities and make theChina-Africa cooperation benefit the twopeoples,” he said. CA

　　China-Africa new strategic partnership promotes infrastructure, capacity building and direct investment on the continent By Liu Jian

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