Forecasting Africa's expectations for two sessions

China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) are underway. Referred to as the two sessions, these annual legislative mechanisms primarily set the agenda for the nation. By extension, these meetings are crucial for Africa on several fronts, by dint of the fact that China has been Africa's leading trade and economic partner for nearly a decade now.

African expectations during the two sessions can be viewed through at least two prisms: global and continental. At the global level, Africans will be looking at the plans that Chinese leaders have for the enhancement of the already robust relations.

Why? A number of geopolitical dynamics portend pessimism for Africa's engagements with the West. Key among these dynamics is the recent election of Donald Trump as the US president. Around Africa, reality is setting in that Trump's "make America great again" mantra will see to the fizzling out of developmental aid, a drastic cutback on humanitarian support and the rolling out of unfavorable export-import regimes.

Taken together with rising nationalism in Europe - Brexit is a good example - these developments leave China as one major global power with which Africa can forge ties. Evidence suggests that China will be stepping in to plug the economic, political and cultural gaps that the anticipated departure of the US and parts of Europe portend.

Rather, it is the form and nature of Africa-China intersections that Africans await over the course of the two sessions.

From the initial consternation over Trump's upending of Obama's Africa policy, African political and thought leaders are seeking alternatives with China, which is a natural ally in many respects. Will the Chinese leaders send signals on how Africa and China can forge ahead, undeterred by Trumpism?

Multilateral and bilateral relations between Africa and China have grown apace over the past two decades. As such, and unlike the global sphere, it is expected that the NPC and CPPCC will build on the huge number of Africa-China engagements, unencumbered by uncertainties.

Granted, schisms over certain issues break to the surface from time to time. The point of departure is that problem areas such as trade imbalances, wildlife poaching and cultural incongruences are continuously being negotiated and treated as works in progress with evolving redress mechanisms in place. At any rate, China is seen as a major partner in the achievement of the continent's long-term development plan.

A reading of the key African and Chinese policy documents demonstrates aspirational similarities. Under the African Union's Agenda 2063, Africa looks to become a prosperous region, having kicked out the scourges of disease, war and poverty.

China on the other hand aims to be a moderately well-off nation in 2021 and a modern socialist nation in 2049, the centennial of the People's Republic of China.

Various factors make it imperative that the learning curve in pursuit of these ambitious plans arcs from China to Africa. China is praised globally for overcoming the developmental challenges that Africa grapples with. African policymakers and researchers will, therefore, be looking at the models and approaches that Chinese leaders will be putting in place to advance the Chinese economy.

But beyond merely learning lessons from the Chinese "developmental state" approaches, Africans will be analyzing the decisions reached at the two sessions with an eye on the implications for Agenda 2063.

To my mind, the most important Agenda 2063 aspiration is the integration of a continent that is disconnected on account of patchy cross-border transportation infrastructure. Through railways, roads, seaports and aerospace, China has made a contribution toward seamless movement of goods. The Chinese metaphor "If you want to develop, build a road" is today appreciated as an existential requirement for Africa's development in virtually all economic spheres. Africans will therefore be keenly looking for indications on how China intends to intensify investment in cross-continental development of infrastructure, in furtherance of the Agenda 2063 integration goal.

Of particular interest will be the African dimension of China's Belt and Road Initiative - the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Maps show that the initiative links to Africa via the East African seaboard, but many Africans familiar with the strategy might have wished it had been articulated as well as it has been for Asia and Eurasia.

Far from being a strategy for the development of maritime and terrestrial transport infrastructure, the Belt and Road is a comprehensive plan. Its implementation includes investment in manufacturing entities, technology transfer, diverse cultural projects, cooperation at the political and governance level and trade.

When linked with the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, the initiative can aid the long-held dream of Africa as a prosperous continent. It will be interesting to see the ways in which the two sessions link the Belt and Road, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and Agenda 2063.

The writer is a postdoctoral fellow at University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a researcher for the Wits Africa China Reporting Project. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily European Weekly 03/03/2017 page9)