BuildingtheBeltandRoadTogether
WhileaddressingtheopeningceremonyoftheSixthConferenceofChineseandAfricanEntrepreneursduringthesummit,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingexplainedwhatChinaandAfricashoulddotojointlybuildtheBeltandRoad.Fromhisaddress,itcanbeseenthattheentireAfricancontinentwillbeapriorityforfuturecooperationundertheframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiative.AfricaisanaturalpartnerintheinitiativeasinfrastructureconnectivityandinternationalcooperationintermsofindustrialcapacityareamongthethingsthatAfricancountriesneedmost.
AfricaisexpectedtoemergeasoneofthemostdynamicregionsforinternationalcooperationundertheBeltandRoadInitiativeforhistoricalandpracticalreasons.ItcouldbecomeChina鈥檚bestpartnerinadvancingthebuildingofthecommunitywithasharedfutureformankind.ThroughtheBeltandRoadInitiative,ChinaandAfricawillfurtherupgradetheirrelationsandreinforcetheircomprehensivestrategicpartnership.ThedeepeningChina-AfricarelationswillbedemonstrativeasanexampleofinternationalcooperationundertheBeltandRoadInitiative.
DuringtheBeijingSummit,AfricanleaderssaidthattheBeltandRoadInitiativehadbeentranslatedintoconcreteeconomicdevelopmentprojectsfundedbyChinesebusinessesinAfrica.WhileattendingthesummitinBeijing,someAfricanleadersinkedmemorandaofunderstanding(MoU)withChinaonjointlybuildingtheBeltandRoadandcooperationonindustrialcapacity.AhostofinvestmentandtradepromotioneventswerelaunchedbyAfricanleaders,someofwhomwereonhandtointroduceinvestmentincentivesandpromotetheircountriespersonally.
CountriesinEastAfrica,WestAsia,andNorthAfricaaswellasthosefromthesouthernAfrica,whichhavebenefitedfromtheinitiativeoverthepastyears,sharedtheirexperiencewiththosefromWestandCentralAfrica.Newcomersaresteppingupeffortstogetfamiliarwiththeinitiativeandprioritiesforcooperationsoastoaligntheirownnationalstrategieswithit.
CompetentdepartmentsincountriesthathavesignedMoUsareworkingwithChinesecounterpartstotranslatetheguidingprinciplesandagreementsintoconcreteandtangibleprojects.Theyarecombiningtheireffortstolaunchmoreflagshipanddemonstrativeprojectsforwin-winpartnerships.
UnequivocalSupportforAfrica
XiJinping,generalsecretaryoftheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),madeitclearthatChinawouldnotimportforeigndevel-opmentmodels,norexportitsownmodelsinhiskeynoteaddressontheCPCinDialoguewithWorldPoliticalPartiesHigh-LevelMeetingheldonDecember1,2017,inBeijing.ChinawouldneverdemandthatothercountriestoreplicateChinesepractices.
AttheopeningceremonyoftheFOCACBeijingSummit,XifurtherexplainedtheChinesegovernment鈥檚standpointsonthisbyproposinga鈥渇ive-noes鈥漚pproachonpromotingrelationswithAfrica.ChinawillnotinterferewithAfricancountries鈥檖ursuitoftheirowndevelopmentpathsthatfittheirnationalconditions.ChinawillnotinterfereinAfricancountries鈥檌nternalaffairs.ChinawillnotimposeitswillonAfricancountries.ChinawillnotattachpoliticalstringstoassistancetoAfrica.AndChinawillnotseekselfishpoliticalgainsininvestmentandfinancingcooperationwithAfrica.
This鈥渇ive-noes鈥漚pproachisanunequivocalresponsetothedefamationbysomeforeigncriticsthatChinaispracticingneocolonialismorexportingitsdevelopmentmodel.Meanwhile,ChinacallsonothercountriesnottointerfereinAfricancountries鈥檌nternalaffairs,buttohelpthemdeveloptheireconomies.
AsChina-Africarelationsdeepen,theirpartnershipsarelikelytobesmearedbythosewithhiddenagendas.Argumentslikeneocolonialismmaycontinue.Itis,infact,inevitablethatsomeWestern鈥渙nlookers鈥漜riticizethecooperationbetweenthelargestdevelopingeconomyandthecontinentwiththemostdevelopingcountriesintheworld.Onlythecountriesinvolvedknowwhatishappening.NomisassumptionswillnegatetheremarkableachievementsinChina-Africacooperation,norstoptheinternationalcommunityfromactivelysupportingAfricandevelopment.
MoreConcreteActions
ChinapledgedahostofconcretemeasurestopromoteChina-AfricarelationsattheBeijingSummit.ApartfromUS$60billionofsupportindifferentforms,Chinapromisedtoupgraderelationsandimprovethemechanismforpragmaticcooperationbylaunchingnewfunctionalplatforms,suchasopeningaChina-AfricaeconomicandtradeexpoinChinaandsettingupaChina-Africapeaceandsecurityfund.
TheseareallincludedinthemajoreightinitiativeslaunchedtodeepenpartnershipsbetweenChinaandAfricancountriesinthenextthreeyearsandbeyond.Eachoftheinitiativesareconcreteandtargetedataspecificarea.Moretangibleoutcomeswillbemadewiththeseinitiativesinplace.ItcanbeseenthatChinamakesnoemptytalk,butonlyextendsconcreteassistanceandhonorsitspromisesasthesemeasuresaresettoempowerAfrica.
ItisforeseeablethatChinawillworkwithAfricanpartnerstobuildneweconomiccooperationzonesandupgradetheexistingzonesinaquesttofosterindustrialclustersinhostcountries.Thecapacitybuildingeffortswilladvanceindustrializationinthesecountriesandfurtherimprovefiscalsustainability.
ChinaiswillingtoseethattheBeltandRoadInitiativewillpromoteconnectivityamongsub-regionalcountriesinNorthAfrica,EastAfrica,WestAfrica,andthecentralandsouthernpartsofthecontinenttolowerthetransportandtelecommunicationcostsandunleashmoredividendsforeconomicdevelopment.Theinitiativeisalsoopentodevelopedcountries,whoinsteadofbeing鈥渙nlookers,鈥漚rewelcometojointheinitiative.Chinaisreadytofostertripartitecooperationwithdevelopedcountriesandgivefullplaytoallparties鈥檆omparativeadvantagestolaunchdemonstrativetripartitecooperationprojectsinAfrica.Itenvisageswin-winoutcomesamongChina,Africa,andanydevelopedcountrybyimprovingeconomicdevelopmentinAfrica.
ChinaisalsowillingtostrengthencooperationwithmultilateralinstitutionsandinternationalfinancialagenciestopromoteinfrastructureconnectivityandindustrializationinAfrica,andmoveAfricaneconomiesupalongtheglobalindustrialvaluechain.Withthesemeasures,thecountryisworkinginsynergywithAfricancountriesforaprosperousAfrica.
JINXINisdirectorofChinaCenterforContemporaryWorldStudieswiththeInternationalDepartmentoftheCPCCentralCommittee,andsecretarygeneralofSilkRoadThinkTankAssociation.