TheauthorisaseniorresearcheroftheCharharInstituteandaresearcheroftheInstituteofWestAsianandAfricanStudiesundertheChineseAcademyofSocialSciencesThe2018BeijingSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC)wrappeduponSeptember4,producingaseriesofoutcomeswithfar-reachingsignificanceandimpact.AccordingtoChineseForeignMinisterWangYi,bothChinaandAfricaagreedtobuildanevenstrongercommunitywithasharedfuture,withthemajoroutcomethatmanyAfricancountriespledgedtocontinueandexpandtheiractivesupportforandparticipationinthejointconstructionoftheBeltandRoadInitiativeproposedbyChinesePresidentXiJinpingfiveyearsago.
Thesummitsawthesigningofmemorandaofunderstanding(MoU)betweenChinaand28countriesaswellastheAfricanUnion(AU)CommissiononjointlydevelopingtheBeltandRoadInitiative.Thus,inadditiontotheninecountrieswhichsignedMoUsbeforethesummit,70percentofallthe53AfricannationsthatattendedthesummithaveshowninterestincooperatingwithChinaontheinitiativewhichaimstopromotethecommondevelopmentofparticipatingcountries.
AccordingtoofficialsfromChina鈥檚NationalDevelopmentandReformCommission,ChinawillstayinclosecommunicationwithotherAfricancountriestosigncooperationdocumentsonBeltandRoadprojects.Chinawillalsoendeavortoachieveeffectiveresultsinpolicycoordination,facilitiesconnectivity,unimpededtrade,financialintegrationandpeopleto-peoplebondswithrelatedcountries,bringingconcretebenefitstoAfricancountriesandtheirpeoples.ResonancefromAfrica
SincetheBeltandRoadInitiativewasproposedin2013,manyAfricancountries鈥攚iththeirabundantresources,hugemarketpotentialandstronginfrastructureconstructiondemand鈥攈avebeenactivelyparticipating.Theyperceivetheinitiativeasahistoricopportunityandexpecttoseizeittoachieveleapfrogdevelopment.
DjiboutiisoneAfricancountrywhichhasshownastrongdriveandpassionforparticipatingintheBeltandRoadInitiativeandhastriedtoembraceabrighterfuturebyjoininghandswithChina.SituatedonthewestbankoftheGulfofAdeninNortheastAfrica,Djiboutiisasmallnationwithapopulationofonly1million.ThroughclosecooperationwithChina,itsinfrastructureconstructionhaswitnessedasurgeinrecentyears.
WithinvestmentfromChineseenterprises,theAddisAbaba-DjiboutiRailway,linkingDjiboutiandthecapitalofEthiopia,startedoperationatthebeginningoftheyear.TheDjiboutiPort鈥攂uiltbytheChinaMerchantsGroup鈥攚ascompletedandstartedoperationslastyear.ThelargestfreetradezoneinAfrica,whichisjointlymanagedbyChineseenterprisesandlocalentities,beganconstructioninearlyJuly.
SuchprogresshaswonrecognitionfromthepeopleofDjibouti.DuringhisvisittoChinalastNovember,PresidentIsmailOmarGuellehnotedthatWesternershavebeeninDjiboutiformorethan100years,buthiscountryisstillverypoor,whiletheChinesearrivedonlythreeyearsagoandDjiboutihasalreadyseengreatchangesanddevelopedmuchhope.
TheexpectationfordevelopmentcomesfromthenewimpetusprovidedbytheBeltandRoadInitiative.JustasChinesepeoplehaveembracedtheChinesedream,Africanpeoplealsohavetheirdreamfordevelopmentandpoverty-reduction;interconnectivityandindustrializationarethepreconditionsandpathtomakingtheAfricandreamcometrue.Toreachthisend,AfricancountriesandtheAUCommissionhaveissuedcriticaldevelopmentdocuments,includingtheNewPartnershipforAfrica鈥檚Developmentin2001,theAcceleratedIndustrialDevelopmentforAfricain2008andtheAUAgenda2063in2013.
However,Africa鈥檚infrastructureispoorlydevelopedduetoinsufficientfinancialresources,ashortageofequipmentandlackoftechnicalandmanagementskills.PoorinfrastructurehaslongbeenabarriertotheeconomicdevelopmentofsomeAfricancountries.Underdevelopedtransportationfacilitiesnotonlymakeregionalanddomestictradecostly,butalsohamperforeigninvestment.
China,withadvantagesandglobalcompetitivenessininfrastructureconstruction,couldcontributetoAfricancountriesinthisregard,sincethemajorobjectiveoftheBeltandRoadInitiativeistoachieveinfrastructureinterconnectivity.Toprepareforthis,Chinahasalreadyputforwardanoutward-lookingpolicy.
Alignmentofstrategies
Attheopeningceremonyofthe2018FOCACBeijingSummit,XiproposedtobuildaChina-Africacommunitywithasharedfuturethatpursueswin-wincooperationandputsforwardbilateraldevelopmentstrategiestobettercomplementeachother.
Beforethesummit,XimadeaspeechatasymposiummarkingthefifthanniversaryoftheBeltandRoadInitiativeonAugust27,inwhichhecomparedthefutureoftheinitiativetocreatingameticulouspainting.Xisaidthatinthepastfewyears,theoveralllayoutofthejointconstructionoftheBeltandRoadInitiativewascompleted,whichcanbeinterpretedasthefreelydrawnsketchofapainting.Inthefuture,Chinaanditspartnersshouldfocusonkeypointstocarefullycraftadelicate,detailedpainting.
JustasXipointedout,cooperationbetweenChinaanditsAfricanpartnersundertheframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiativehasnowenteredanewphase:thealignmentoftheChina-proposedinitiativewiththeAUAgenda2063,theUN2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopmentaswellasthedevelopmentprogramsofAfricancountries.
OnJanuary27,2015,ChinaandtheAUsignedanMoUtocooperateonmajorinfrastructurenetworksandindustrializationprocessesinAfrica.WithintheframeworkoftheAUAgenda2063,ChinawouldstrengthencooperationwithAfricancountriesontheconstructionofroads,railwaysandregionalaviation,alongwithoverallindustrialization,toacceleratecontinentalintegration.Atpresent,Chineseenterpriseshavealreadystartedtocarryoutthesecommitments,engagingininfrastructureprojectsinEthiopia,Djibouti,Kenya,Nigeriaandothercountries,anddockingChineseandAfricandevelopingstrategieswithconcretesteps.
Duringthisnewphaseofcooperation,ChinashouldalsoaligntheBeltandRoadInitiativewiththeindividualdevelopmentstrategiesofeachAfricancountrymoreprecisely.OnlyinthiswaywillChina鈥檚advantagesbetterintegratewitheachcountry鈥檚developmentpriorities,whilethejointconstructionofBeltandRoadprojectscanfurtherbeconsolidatedandimproved.
Toreachthisend,solidresearchshouldbeconductedabouteachAfricancountryandsub-region.Knowledgeshouldbegainedaboutnotonlypoliticalandsocialconditions,butalsoaboutmid-orlong-termnationaldevelopmentprioritystrategies.LocalauthoritiesofChineseprovincesandcitiesshouldalsotakestockoftheircompetitiveindustriesforcooperationwiththosecountriesindemand.
Forinstance,Senegal,Rwanda,SouthAfricaandMauritius鈥攖hefourcountriesXivisitedinJuly鈥攈avedifferentcharacteristicsinregardstolocationanddevelopmentadvantages.
SenegalistheWestAfricagateway,SouthAfrica,withtheCapeofGoodHope,connectstheAtlanticandIndianoceans,andMauritiusisthePearloftheIndianOceanoffthecoastofEastAfrica.Asthreeimportantcountriesalongthe21stCenturyMaritimeSilkRoad,theyallexpecttotapintomoredevelopmentpotentialinfishery,shipmaintenance,porttransportation,tradedistributionandtransshipmentwhilecooperatingwithChinaundertheframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiative.
Rwanda,alandlockedcountrythatconnectsCentralandEastAfrica,hasachievedremarkabledevelopmentresultsinrecentdecadesundertheleadershipofPresidentPaulKagame.ThecountryisstrivingtobecometheInternetandinformationcenteroftheEastAfricanCommunityandisdeterminedtobetheSingaporeofAfrica.Therefore,Chinesee-commercegiantssuchasAlibabaGroupmightplayaroleinRwandaduringitsBeltandRoadconstruction.
XINHUAPassengerstakeaselfieatNairobiStationoftheMombasa-NairobiStandardGaugeRailwayinKenyaonJune1
CopyeditedbyRebecaToledo
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