New Chinese Foreign Minister First Trip A Sign China Puts Great Importance to Sino-Africa Relations

by Admin (Posted on January 19, 2023)

By Allawi Ssemanda

Last week, China’s new foreign minister, Qin Gang started his new term as China’s Foreign Minister with a weeklong trip to Africa visiting 5 African nations. The five countries are; Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin, and Egypt. Also, on list of his first foreign visit since his appointment as China’s foreign minister, Qin visited African Union Headquarters and the League of Arab States Headquarters in Addis Ababa and Cairo-Egypt respectively.

If critically analysed, Qin’s choice to first visit Africa as China’s Foreign Minister is not a coincidence but China’s consistence that more than any other region, Beijing greatly values China-Africa relations and is committed to keeping this. This analysis is partly due to the fact that for more than 30 years, China’s foreign ministers have always started each year with a trip to Africa. Indeed, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson spokesperson Wang Wenbin told media that Qin’s decision to start his foreign trips “shows that China attaches great importance to the traditional friendship with Africa and the development of China-Africa relations.”

Indeed, like many analysists and commentators’ arguments, for many years, Chinese leaders have always emphasised that China-Africa relations is a symbiotic relationship where all sides stand to gain. Put differently, both sides consider this cooperation to be mutually beneficial, and indeed, it is.

While in Ethiopia where he held bilateral talks with Ethiopian Premier Abiy Ahmed, Qin visited African Union headquarters where he witnessed the commissioning of the new seat of African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention which was constructed with full support from Beijing. China funded the construction of the centre which is now arguably a sign of significance of China-Africa relations at the hight of Covid-19 pandemic outbreak purposely to help the African continent be prepared in handling possible future outbreaks.

Whereas some Sino-Africa skeptics especially from some western capitals continue to spread narratives of controversies about China-Africa relations with the so-called “debt trap” talks alleging that China’s continued funding of African countries’ much needed infrastructure projects leaves many of African countries “debt trapped”, if critically analysed, Qin’s visit comes at the right time when developing countries especially in global south need closer ties with reliable partners like China.

Indeed, foreign minister Qin told Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that China was partially writing off the country’s debt to Beijing a move that in all ways is a positive gesture considering that like many other countries especially in the global south, Ethiopia is also struggling with economic hardships which largely can be traced from effects of Covid-19 pandemic.

Such brotherly gesture coming at a time when global economic outlook is projected to be gloomy is evidence that China is indeed a friend in need.  For example, earlier this year, the World Bank and IMF projected that 2023 will be characterised by economic disruptions and low growth with IMF’s chief, Kristalina Georgieva warning that 2023 will be “tougher than the year we leave behind,” adding that “we expect one-third of the world economy to be in recession. Even countries that are not in recession, it would feel like recession for hundreds of millions of people.”

It should be recalled that during the 2021 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Senegal’s capital, Dakar from 29 to 30 November, China pledged to help in reducing what Sino-Africa skeptics allege is intentional trade imbalance between China and African countries. Beijing promised it would ensure African countries gain from Chinese market by exporting goods worth over 300 billion USDs. Indeed, in December last year, China announced that Beijing had decided to increase on a number of African countries adding more 9 nations from the continent to benefit from China’s tariff-free access to the Chinese market. This increased the number of African countries to 18 that China granted preferential access to its market. If critically analysed, all this is evidence that once China promises, they match their words with deeds and deliver. To date, China remains one of top sources of foreign direct investments to African countries, and the biggest source of the much-needed infrastructure funding.

Relatedly, the 2021-2024 FOCAC Action Plan reached during the 2021 summit, Beijing promised to invest up to 10 billion USDs in African countries before the next FOCAC meeting which will be held in 2024. Therefore, one hopes African leaders where foreign minister Qin visited also looked at this plan as a way of following it up.

However, while China seems ready to offer huge market to African countries’ products, in most cases, African countries have always been critiqued for bringing substandard goods to market. Therefore, to benefit from this market, African countries must ensure their goods meet international standards so as to compete favourably. Also, African countries should use the opportunity of Chinese investments to embrace industrialization and embrace value addition so to gain maximumly from Chinese markets. This can be achieved by making good use of Chinese industrial parks in Africa by positioning them well to produce what is on high demand in Chinese markets so as to produce for both local and international markets. Today, almost all African countries have industrial parks thanks to Chinese investments. For example, in Uganda among others we have Mbale Industrial Park and Kapeeka. Outside East African region, Zambia has seen China establishing the Zambia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation the first of its kind in Africa, Egypt has seen the success of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, and Uganda’s Mbale Industrial Park has proved to be one of the best agricultural products suppliers, these are just a few among many other countries in Africa that have seen and benefited from Chinese investment.

Industrialising Africa featured more during 2021 FOCAC and China expressed readiness to support African countries realise this goal through investments in that field. Therefore, African countries should not see China’s foreign minister visit as opportunity to take photos but should also use the visit to follow up on China’s development assistance promises after all, China has for so long proved that when Beijing promises, they deliver. This will not only help to strengthen Sino-Africa relations but will come with both long-term and immediate and opportunities such as helping in tackling poverty and unemployment challenges on the continent.

Allawi Ssemanda is a Senior Research Fellow at Development Watch Centre.

 

 

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