China's growth benefits Africa, experts say

African countries seek to benefit from China's inclusive growth through mutually beneficial cooperation, African government officials and academicians said.

They said China's manner of engaging with Africa, unlike the Western countries' model, has resulted in win-win outcomes, and the globalization that China upholds underpins the China-Africa relationship as well as the BRICS cooperation.

Anil Sooklal, deputy director-general for Asia and the Middle East at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said China is positive about his country and will bring billions of dollars of investment during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the country this week.

Sooklal, who is also South Africa's ambassador for BRICS, said at a BRICS roundtable in Richard's Bay that the "deals" to be signed would be "very significant".

Speaking of the upcoming BRICS summit, Sooklal said in an interview that BRICS is all about inclusiveness. Africa should also enjoy the benefits that globalization offers and no one should be left behind, he added.

Isolationist policies and trade wars will not benefit anyone, he said. "Even if those parties of the trade war don't involve us, it will hurt us all. Trade war is not the route to solving problems," he said, adding that he encourages the parties involved to have direct talks.

Petrus de Kock, director of research at Brand South Africa, a consultancy company, hailed the development of bilateral relations between China and his country.

Great outcomes have been achieved through the basic partnership from the time the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1998 to their comprehensive strategic partnership nowadays, De Kock said in an interview.

"China is not only the second-largest economy in the world, but in terms of the role China plays in the world affairs, the relationship between South Africa and China is critically important for us," he said.

Thesele John Maseribane, Lesotho's minister of communications, science and technology, said in an interview that what he sees from the China-Africa relationship is the confidence that most of the less-developed countries will benefit from China-Africa cooperation.

Africa is challenged with capacity issues, insufficient employment opportunities, especially for young people, and insufficient health facilities.

However, Maseribane said: "You open up your hand, you get more; if you close your hand, you close everything. China has opened hands to Africa. By doing that, China also benefits by helping others."

Andriamandavy VII Riana, Madagascar's minister of communication, information and relations with institutions, said China and Africa share a mission of promoting development and improving the living conditions of their people.

"Our intention is to associate the Chinese development strategy with that of our African countries," he said.