TangXiaoyang,associateprofessoratthedepartmentofinternationalrelationsofTsinghuaUniversity,takesaphotowithateacherwithCITICBNVocationalSchool(Angola)attheschool鈥檚gate.courtesyofTangXiaoyangTangXiaoyang,associateprofessoratthedepartmentofinternationalrelationsofTsinghuaUniversity,isanexperiencedscholaronAfricandevelopmentandChina-Africarelations.Thankstohistravelstonearly20Africancountriesoverthepastdecade,Tangpublishedmorethan30academicpapersandabooktitledChina-AfricaEconomicDiplomacyandItsImplicationtotheGlobalValueChain.Recently,hetalkedtoChinaPictorial(CP)aboutthefast-growingcontinentandthecharacteristicsofChina-Africacooperation.
CP:WhatledyoutoacademicresearchonAfrica?
TangXiaoyang:IbeganresearchingAfricain2006.Atthetime,AsiancountriessuchasSouthKoreaandIndia,andespeciallyChina,werelookingtoinvestinAfrica.IwaslivingintheUnitedStates.SomeAmericanconsultingfirmswereinterestedinwhyAmericancompanieswereholdingbackwhileAsianbusinesseswererushingtoinvestinAfrica.Sotheyaskedmetodoresearch.
Duringmyresearch,IfoundthatinvestmentwasflowingintoAfricabecauseofitsrapiddevelopment.Andthedevelopmentiscomprehensiveandcomplicated,involvingmultiplefacetsincludingpolitics,economics,cultureandsociety.Istudiedeconomicsandhistoryasanundergraduateandphilosophyingraduateschool,soIhadspecialinterestinresearchingsuchacomprehensiveissuewithfar-reachinginfluence.ThedevelopmentofAfricaisconnectedtothelivelihoodofmorethanabillionpeople,soIcontinuedfocusingonacademicresearchinthisarea.
April4,2018:AharvesterworksatWanbaoricefarminGaza,Mozambique.ThericefarmisakeyprojectofChinaMozambiquecooperation.Xinhua
WorkersatasisalhempprocessingfactoryinTanzania.courtesyofTangXiaoyang
AworkerintroducescowbreedingatanacademyofagriculturalsciencesinEthiopia.courtesyofTangXiaoyangCP:YouhavevisitedAfricamanytimesforresearch.Whichcountrieshaveyoubeento?Whohaveyoumet?Whatdidyouresearch?
Tang:Since2007,IhavevisitedAfricaalmosteveryyearandtraveledtonearly20countriesincludingEgypt,Ethiopia,Nigeria,Kenya,Tanzania,Uganda,Ghana,Angola,DemocraticRepublicofCongo,SouthAfrica,Zambia,BotswanaandMozambique.MostofthepeopleImettherearegovernmentofficialsandbusinessmen.MyresearchfocusesoneconomicdevelopmentinAfricaandrelatedsocialissuesandenvironmentalprotection.
CP:WhatisthemostprominentchangeinAfricasinceyourfirstvisit?
Tang:Ingeneral,Africancountrieshaveseenfastgrowthinthepastdecade,markedbyindustrialization.Thisisillustratedbytheincreasingnumbersoflocalfactories.Manyproductsthatusedtobeimportedfromoverseascanbemadelocallynow.Asaresult,workers鈥檞agesarerising,infrastructureisimprovingandurbanizationisaccelerating.
CP:WhatdifferentiatesChinesesupporttoAfricandevelopmentfromthatprovidedbyothercountries?
Tang:Asearlyasinthe1960sand1970s,ChinalaunchedseveralaidprojectssuchasconstructionoftheTanzania-ZambiaRailwayinAfrica.Chinahasalsomadesimilareffortsinrecentyearstohelpbuildhospitalsandschoolsonthecontinent.However,notthroughaid,butthrougheven-handedtradethatbenefitsbothsides,hasChinamadeitsbiggestcontributiontothedevelopmentofAfrica.Suchmethodshaveseldombeenattemptedbyothercountries.EqualtradebetweenChinaandAfricabooststheproactivityofbothsidesandpromotesbetterallocationofresources,whilestraightaidonlyfuelspassive鈥渞eceiving鈥漟romtheAfricanside.EqualtradebetweenChinaandAfricahelpsAfricancountriesbetterunderstandmoderneconomicmodes,accumulatemoreindustrializationexperience,activelyparticipateintheinternationaldivisionoflabor,learnmoreaboutmanagement,improvecommerceandtradeandrealizesustainablegrowth.
CP:SomeChineseenterpriseshavehadtroubleadaptingtolocallawsandcultureafterenteringtheAfricanmarket.Aretheydoingbetternow?
Tang:Theseproblemsfrequentlyhappentonewarrivals.IdidlearnthatsomeChinesecompaniesinKenyaandEthiopiawerehavingtroubleswithemploymentandenvironmentissues.ThankstotheeffortsofChineseembassiesandconsulates,chambersofcommerceandnon-governmentalorganizationsinspreadingknowledgeoflocallaws,thesituationhasimprovedtoday.However,Africaistransformingrapidlyinmanyaspects,soitishardtoavoidconflictcompletely.NewbusinessentrantsinAfricacertainlyneedtimetoadapttothelocalcontext.
CP:Howdoesrisinganti-globalizationandprotectionismaroundtheworldthreatenAfrica?HowcanAfricaandChinajointlyaddressthischallenge?
Tang:TradeprotectionismdoesimpactAfrica.Forinstance,Rwandabannedtheimportofsecond-handclothes,andtheUnitedStatescutitstariffpreferenceforthecountryinresponse.Inthiscontext,ChinaandAfricancountriesshouldalldeveloptheirownmarketsasmuchaspossibleandenhancetradebetweendevelopingcountries.ButIbelievetradeprotectionismwon鈥檛lastlong.Thesituationwillimproveinthenearfuture.December13,2017:AChinesebusinessmanshowsproductstovisitorsatthefirstExhibitionoftheChina-AfricaProductionCapacityCooperationinNairobi,Kenya.Xinhua
July28,2016:QianKeming,China鈥檚viceministerofcommerce,addressestheSeminaronChina-AfricaBusinessCooperationinBeijing.IC
January11,2017:InMombasa,Kenya,localscelebratethefirstbatchofdieseltrainsmanufacturedbyChineseenterprisesforthe480-kilometer-longMombasaNairobirailway.Xinhua