China-Africacooperation,andthediplomacyinvestedtodriveit,isnotmereordinaryandroutinetraditionalinternationaldiplomacyofambiguitiesanddoubletalk,butaframeworkofusefulintercoursetoproducetangibleresultsandevolvenewstrategiestoconsolidatefunctionalpartnerships.
Followinginthemorethantwo-decade-olddiplomatictradition,whichhasseenChineseforeignministersheadtoAfricaasthestartingdestinationoftheirinternationaldiplomaticengagementseveryyear,WangYi,MinisterofForeignAffairs,traveledtofiveAfricannationsinJanuary.Thehigh-levelvisits,whichbeganinMadagascaronJanuary7,tookhimtoZambia,Tanzania,theRepublicoftheCongoandfinallyNigeria,wherehewrappeduphistriponJanuary12.
AccordingtoGengShuang,ForeignMinistrySpokesperson,“Relationswithdevelopingcountries,including[thosein]AfricaarethebedrockofChinesediplomacy.ChineseforeignministershavevisitedAfricaduringtheirfirstforeigntripseachyearoverthepasttwodecades.ThepracticehasbecomeamuchtreasureddiplomatictraditionforChina.”
BeyondthesymbolismofthisevolvingChinesediplomatictradition,theAfrica-firstChinadiplomacyunderscoresthevigorandrobustnessofSino-Africancooperation.Theever-wideningfrontiersanddeepeningcontentsofthiscooperationareunderwrittenbyashareddestinyandcommonvision,builtthroughthehistorictrajectoriesofsolidarity,strategicpartnershipandnow,advancedcomprehensivecooperation.
Nigeriancooperation
InMarch2013,XiJinping’sfirstinternationalengagementastheChinesepresidentwastoneighboringRussiaandthenstraighttoAfrica(Tanzania),whereheelaboratedonthefreshimpetustodrivetheSino-Africancooperation.
Wang’svisittoAfricathisyearfitsintotheblossomingChina-AfricadiplomacyandmoreimportantlycapturesthetrendofChina-Africadeepeningcooperation.WhileinAfrica,WangdiscussedtheimplementationofXi’sconsensuswithAfricanleadersandtheoutcomesofJohannesburgSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC)heldinSouthAfricainDecember2015.Atthehistoricsummit,whichwasthesecondFOCACsummitandfirstonAfricansoil,Chinaannounced10majorplansfora$60-billionpackage.AndasoflastJuly,ChinaandAfricahavesigned245variouscooperationagreementsworthatotalof$50billion.
InApril2016,PresidentMuhammaduBuhariofNigeriapaidahistoricstatevisittoChina,becomingthefirstAfricanheadofstatetovisitthecountryaftertheFOCACSummit.ThevisitharvestedagreementsoncoreissuesofNigeria’seconomicreconstruction,whichincludedaframeworkagreementbetweentheNationalDevelopmentandReformCommissionofChinaandNigeria’sFederalMinistryofIndustry,TradeandInvestmentondevelopingcooperationonindustrialization,infrastructure,productioncapacityandinvestment.Duringthevisit,Chinapledgedtoprovide$14.45millioninfreeassistanceforagriculturalscienceandtechnologydemonstrationcentersandsolartrafficlightsprojectsinAbuja.Besidethis,Chinahasprovidedaround$4billioninconcessionaryloansintotaltoNigeriatofundmajorprojectssuchasAbuja-KadunaRailway,AbujaLightRail,LagosRailMassTransitSystemandseveralothers.
Ashasbecomeobvious,Africa’seconomicrevivalcannotsubsistorrelyonsustenanceoncommodityextractionandexportsasweakdemandandlowpriceshavetakenhugetollsonAfrica’seconomies.Nowthepathofindustrializationisagaingettingattention,withChinaplayingakeyroleinthisregard.ChinahassetupafundforChina-Africaproductioncapacitycooperationwithaninitialcontributionof$10billion.
Buildinginfrastructure
AcrossAfrica,manyChina-supportedorassistedinfrastructureprojectshavebeencompleted,commissionedandputtouse,andsomeotherswerenearingcompletionbytheendof2016.LastJuly,theAbuja-Kadunastandardgaugerailway,linkingNigeria’scapitalAbujaandthenorthwesternstateofKaduna,wasopenedforcommercialoperation.The186.6-kmlinebuiltbyChinaCivilEngineeringConstructionCorp.withninestationsandadesignedspeedof150kmperhourispartoftherailwaymodernizationinitiativebyNigeriatoreplacetheexistingnarrowgaugewiththewiderstandardgaugesystem,whileallowinghigh-speedtrainoperationontherailwaynetwork.TheNnamdiAzikiweInternationalAirportinAbujaunderreconstructionwithChineseassistanceisnearingcompletion.LastOctober,thefirstelectrifiedrailwaylinkingEthiopia’scapitalAddisAbabatotheportofDjiboutiwascompletedandputintooperation.The752.7-kmrailway,whichwasconstructedbyChinaRailwayGroupandChinaCivilEngineeringConstructionCorp.,willavaillandlockedEthiopiafasteraccesstotheseaviathePortofDjibouti,reducingtraveltimefromsevendaysonroadstoabout10hours.
Followingthis,NovemberlastyearsawthelaunchofKenya’sNairobi-NaivashastandardgaugerailwayprojectbuiltbytheChinaCommunicationsConstructionCo.andfundedbyExport-ImportBankofChina.Theprojectisthefirstphaseofthe120.4-kmNairobiMalabastandardgaugerailwayandanextensionoftheNairobi-Mombassastandardgaugerailway.
InTanzania,theChinese-builtKigamboniBridge,a680-meter-longandsix-lanebridge,openedfortrafficasthelargestcable-stayedcross-seabridgeinEastAfrica.
Zimbabwe’sVictoriaFallsInternationalAirportwascommissionedandexpandedwithsupportfromChinainNovember2016.Theairport,whichcannowhandle1.5millionpassengersperyear,boastsnewfacilitiesincludinganewinternationalterminalbuilding,anew4-kmrunway,extendedparkingareasforaircraftandanewroadnetwork.Theprojectwasfundedthrougha$150-millionloanfromExportImportBankofChina.
AlsoinNovemberlastyear,GhanacommissionedthenewKotokurabaMarket,whoseconstructionwasalsofinancedbyChinaExport-ImportBankofChina.ThemarketintheancientcapitalCapeCoastfeaturesmodernfacilitiesincludinga200-carparkinglot,asolarsystemforemergencylighteningandclosedcircuitTVsecuritycameras.ThemarketrenovationandexpansionwouldeasecongestionintheformerKotokurabaMarket,whichhadsufferedtwomajoroutbreaksoffirewithheavylossesinthepast.
China-Africacooperation,andthediplomacyinvestedtodriveit,isnotmereordinaryandroutinetraditionalinternationaldiplomacyofambiguitiesanddoubletalk,butaframeworkofusefulintercoursetoproducetangibleresultsandevolvenewstrategiestoconsolidatefunctionalpartnerships.Wang’sfivecountryvisitinAfricabearsenormousgoodwillfromChinaandpracticalsupportforAfricaandthereforewaswelldeservingofthebestofAfrica’sphenomenalhospitality.
(TheauthorisdirectoroftheCenterforChinaStudies,Utako,Abuja,Nigeria)
CharlesOnunaiju
ChineseForeignMinisterWangYiiswelcomedbyNigeriaPresidentMuhammaduBuhariatatthePresidentialVillainAbuja,NigeriaonJanuary11,2017IC