Big ideas needed in Sino-African ties

Zheng He was a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) mariner who made expeditionary voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and East Africa from 1405 to 1433.

The budding relationship was interrupted for centuries but reestablished during African nations' independence struggles. "Here we see the development of the Tazara Railway," says Ndege. The railway between Tanzania and Zambia was built in the 1970s with Chinese assistance.

"The relationship has grown through China's rapid industrialization in the 1980s and Africa's economic tumult, which saw it undergo structural adjustment programs that gave rise to massive unemployment figures.

"We can say what we are seeing now is a 20-year-old renaissance that is growing," Ndege says.

Second, the two partners have not only benefited from trading but other aspects as well.

Indeed trade has seen massive growth over time. The trade volume between China and Africa has increased from $10 billion in 2000 to $220 billion in 2014, while its share in Africa's total foreign trade increased from 3.82 percent to 20.5 percent.

Moreover, China's investment in Africa has sharply increased from $500 million to $30 billion during the same period. "The volumes are staggering in terms of growth and investment," says Zeleza.

China's contribution in financing and building infrastructure has improved the world's perception of Africa. The increase in foreign investment has propelled the continent into the ranks of the fastest growth areas globally.

"People now see Africa as a continent full of vitality that plays a critical role in the global and economic landscape," says Liu Xianfa, China's ambassador to Kenya.

Noteworthy are additional benefits in entrepreneurship, culture, security and health.

"We have seen under FOCAC that the people-to-people relationship has increased. Exchanges between people form the anchor of bilateral relationships," Zeleza says. "How we treat the Chinese community living in Africa and the African community living in China will strengthen this cooperation."

Africa hosts about 2,500 Chinese enterprises that provide more that 100,000 jobs. There have been about 1.9 million Chinese visitors to the continent and the number grows yearly. In 2014, the number of African students in China exceeded 41,000.

China is the largest contributor of peacekeepers to the African Union among the five members of United Nations Security Council. Its forces have participated in 16 peacekeeping missions, including in some of the continent's hotspots.

During the Ebola epidemic in West Africa last year, China contributed funds and personnel to help the region combat the virus.

Lack of a unifying policy has meant China must deal with a diversity of actors. "Africa is not a single country but 54. This means that there are national, regional and continental players all engaging China. There is no single coherent voice," says Sanusha Naidu, an academic and research specialist affiliated with the Institute for Global Dialogue in South Africa.

"Africa needs to own this cooperation to be able to achieve Agenda 2063," she says. Agenda 2063 is the African Union policy to maximize the use of the continent's resources for all Africans.

Participants said they also hope their recommendations would influence December's FOCAC meeting. For one, strategies to accelerate Africa's ambition to industrialize should be given prominence, they say.

"More value additions should be done in Africa. We need technology and skills to exploit resources from their natural form to top-value products for export," says Karanja Kibicho, principal secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Commenting on China's help in propelling Africa from aid dependant to trade dependant, he emphasizes the need to invest in innovation and creation to sustain development.

"China is at the stage of restructuring its industries and Africa is well poised to be the recipient of labor-intensive industries because of our abundance in human capital," Kibicho says.

Lyu calls for more nongovernmental forums to further friendly cooperation, support cultural investment between the two countries, and investment in academic institutions.

"The continuity of the relationship through students is imperative as education enhances the Sino-Africa relationship," he says.

Focus should also be directed toward building African institutions. "Existing structural problems need to be addressed to strengthen coordination and speed up the decision making process. China and Africa must proactively move with the effects of recovering global growth," says Lyu, who served in Nigeria for four years starting in 1995.

Investment in science and technology may be the solution. "Industrialized countries have grown on the back of research in science and technology. Africa's ambition to grow is not reflected in its investments toward this cause despite its importance," says Donald Chimanike, a researcher from Zimbabwe.

lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn