Experts hail Xi Jinping's role in China-Africa relations – World

A South African academic has launched a new book detailing the success of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and Chinese President Xi Jinping's contribution to its growth ahead of the forum's summit next month.

The book, titled Xi Jinping and the Flourishing Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in the New Erawas launched by Paul Tembe, a senior researcher at the University of South Africa, on Friday in Pretoria.

At the launching ceremony, Mr Tembe said President Xi Jinping had contributed significantly to the success of the FOCAC through his wise leadership. He added that China had made major contributions to infrastructure development in Africa, improved people-to-people relations and provided scholarships for African students to study in China.

“We study FOCAC in its historical, present and future context. FOCAC has become a model for the developing world, particularly in the Global South,” said Tembe, who is a senior lecturer at the University of South Africa.

He said the FCSA had a multi-pronged approach that implemented global initiatives. “Africans are not summoned to Beijing every three years, there is consultation and consensus, it is a partnership of equals.”

He said Chinese proposals such as the Belt and Road Initiative can promote synergy with Africa's Agenda 2063 project.

The 317-page book examines FOCAC since its creation in 2000, analyses the results of each summit and assesses whether commitments are being met.

In his book, Tembe said: “The African Union and China have witnessed high examples of dynamism, successful cooperation and partnership of equals. Under the joint guidance and promotion of President Xi and African leaders, China-Africa relations have entered a new era of building an even closer China-Africa community with a shared future, which has become a model for building a community with a shared future for mankind.”

Jeffrey Mathethe Sehume, co-author of the book, said they decided to write about Xi because of his “exemplary” leadership in the pursuit of peace, climate justice and multilateralism.

FOCAC has set a benchmark for countries, even those in the Global North, Sehume said.

Sehume said: “Xi Jinping supports the centrality of green globalisation and the removal of trade barriers. Xi Jinping urges people to protect nature. He emphasises family values. In South Africa, we resonate with his thinking because of gender-based violence and broken families.”

In his book, Tembe explains that Xi Jinping's approach to China-Africa diplomacy is based on several factors, including non-interference in African countries' pursuit of development paths suited to their national conditions, non-interference in African countries' internal affairs, non-imposition of will on African countries, and no political conditions on aid to Africa, all of which are widely welcomed by African countries.

Mutual respect

At the book launch ceremony, Wu Peng, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, said that the FOCAC has become a model of international cooperation. He stressed that China's cooperation with Africa is based on mutual respect, joint consultation and equal treatment. He said the upcoming FOCAC summit in Beijing will discuss the future of Africa and China and expressed confidence that the FOCAC will live up to his expectations and advance friendship.

Lindiwe Zulu, a member of the national executive of the African National Congress of South Africa, congratulated Tembe on his book. She said Tembe shared his experience of living and studying in China.

Zulu, a former minister of social development and small business development, said Xi Jinping is committed to creating a win-win situation.

She said: “Win-win means that both partners benefit from this relationship. In this case, we envision the prosperity of China and Africa. We want to work with China for the enrichment of our minerals and our industrialization. We want to see the developments that we have seen in China replicated in Africa.”

Arthur Mutambara, a professor at the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for the Future of Knowledge, said Africans want a win-win partnership with China. He added that Africa wants to use friendship with China to ensure prosperity and inclusive economic growth and add value to the continent’s products.

Mutambara, also a former deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe, said: “We want to build a capable and ethical state, just like your government. We want to work with China or Europe to add value to our natural resources to achieve inclusive growth.”

The author is a freelance journalist for China Daily.