China-Uganda Relations: As it Was During Colonial Rule, China Remains a Reliable Development Partner!

by Admin (Posted on June 5, 2023)

By Musanjufu Benjamin Kavubu

China and many African countries have shared a history regarding the sense of imperialism and colonialism. China was not so long ago under the colonial rule of Japan and some of its territories like Hong Kong under Britain. China’s Communist Party set an example and also went ahead to support African independence struggles. Even with its rich history, China can be credited with the front of economic growth that has a basis on the political will of CPC and its leaders from the days of Chairman Mao to to-date where CPC Secretary General and President of China Xi Jinping advocates for building a community with shared prosperity for mankind.

Like every global player for China Africa is part of its economic playground and places like Uganda are both its geopolitical and geo-economic outposts. One may then wonder if Uganda is just a pony on a grander chessboard. It depends on how you watch events and the perceived results. What makes news is Beijing’s economic strategy and it’s in a few cases in the past decades save for its ambitions unify its claimed territory of Taiwan when China’s military strategy has come under the world’s microscope. Even with the military bases in the South China Sea and some off the African coast, the answer is supply chain interests that facilitate its trade with the world. Put differently, China has never been a coloniser and to date, if critically analysed, Beijing bears no such ambitions but rather win-win cooperation where countries world over benefit from a win-win cooperation under world order where each country’s sovereignty is respected!

Unlike the British Empire that is only visible today through a shadow of Common Wealth nations that kicked off with military expeditions and remained in place with the power of the gun and the United States hegemony that has a thirst for energy resources also backed with senseless wars, China has had this supposed strong foothold on the world and places like Uganda with no boots on the ground in terms of soldiers or even private contractors. China chooses economic diplomacy and it has run lately on projects like the famous Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Maltiplarism through BRICS a block made up of Brazil, Russia, India China and South Africa which unlike the G7, BRICS advocates for equality of all countries as well as respect for all irrespective of their size or military might.

Nothing has brought criticism to Beijing like the true intentions of the Belt and Road Initiative a project that has seen China seriously considering and supporting developing countries’ infrastructure development loans to among others construct, sea ports, airports, rail line networks and roads from Africa to Americas, from Asia to Europe all aimed to facilitating trade. This development has arguably revolutionized developing countries’ infrastructure development which organisations like world bank have continuously said they receive very low funding despite being key in social-economic development aspect.

Sadly, some people claim BRI is about China taking out raw materials and bringing back low-quality products through its massive web of the supply chain, with other critics of China especially from the West who often cherry-pick and ignore reality and brand China’s generous infrastructure development assistance as “debt trap.”

 

For a moment picture this China through EXIM bank provides a loan to Uganda to construct a hydropower dam on the Nile River, in the process technology is imported and at the end of it, all rural electrification is achieved which will facilitate industrialisation leading to employment, in turn creating a population with disposable income that is used to develop microeconomics of households that bring further education and research in the academia field. It’s from such initiatives that a real middle class is a bred that will in the end consume quality Chinese products because of the disposable income. The question is who wins? A real middle class that pays taxes will in the long run offset the loan for the dam, a real middle class will trade and create a functional society. A functional society has no appetite for civil war or trade in arms and that will ensure civility and a level of peacetime. That sounds like true economic development!

In the past two decades, Ugandans that speak Mandarin have increased and it’s not because it’s part of the school syllabus even if they are few language schools in Kampala that offer to teach it. The main reason for Mandarin in Africa is the increased scholarships that Beijing is offering. There is a likelihood that every Uganda knows someone close who has travelled to China for education on a fully Chinese government funded scholarship. When these people return after studying, they have contributed to the local academia and thus bettering the educational sector that is very fundamental in economic development. Whatever China’s foreign agenda policy is behind shipping Ugandans to China educating them and sending them back it’s to our society’s advantage in the long run.

China has a thirst and also a shortage for oil in its massive industrialization scheme and on that note, it’s watched carefully through its activities on the energy market. CNOC is one of the partners of Uganda in the oil sector and the company’s efforts can’t be downplayed in the facilitation of black gold’s take-off in the country. It’s a writing on the wall that if the oil sector is handled well by the state and its full potential is realised, then it will overturn the economic prospects of the nation. Today, many Ugandans in Albertine region have already seen fruits from oil sector especially through CNOC’s cooperate social responsibility where social services for communities are looked at as well as employment opportunities! The other most striking example are modern houses CNOC constructed for people affected by oil project in Kingfisher oil field.

Uganda like most African countries will seem like small pieces in China’s economic strategy but the reality these tiny pieces are useful and all need to work. China at some point will even go beyond its comfort zone to ensure these pieces function as expected beyond United Nations Security Council speeches where it’s a permanent member. It is important that the war in Ukraine and the new world order on the horizon led by players like China Kampala maintain a strong relationship with Beijing to realise further economic development.

While China’s critics and Sino-Africa skepticists especially in the West claim that China’s engagement with African countries is guided by what they claim to be Beijing’s “selfish interests” at times with absurd claims that most African countries have received fewer tangible benefits from China relations the reality is that where greatly or otherwise, tangible or otherwise, China-Africa relations are working and wonders are being created! The fact that China respects African countries sovereignty and that these relations are based on equality not the West’s assumed big brother role, African countries should jealously guard these relations! As African countries demand for equality and permanent representation at the UN security Council, it is clear that China at some point will ensure this dream becomes a reality by supporting Africans as they did while Africans fought against brutal colonial rulers.

Musanjufu Benjamin Kavubu is a Junior Research Fellow at Sino-Uganda Research Centre.

 

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