China’s Appointment of a Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Will Spur Region’s Social-Economic Development
By Allawi Ssemanda.
During his visit to Africa earlier this year, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi proposed the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa (HoA) with focus on three major points; security, governance and development. To realise this, China appointed ambassador Xue Bing, a senior diplomat with experience in both developed and developing countries as China’s Special Envoy for the HoA.
Since his appointment, Ambassador Xue has visited and held consultative meetings with officials in number of countries including Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and he’s currently in Uganda where he has held talks with State minister for Foreign Affairs, Henry Okello Oryemu. He is also scheduled to visit South Sudan.
After his meeting with Uganda’s foreign ministry official, Ambassador Xue told journalists that as a special envoy for the HoA, his role in region will be guided by three major pillars namely; strengthening intra-regional dialogue to overcome security challenges; acceleration of regional revitalization to overcome development challenges; and exploring effective ways to overcome governance challenges.
If critically analysed, China’s appointment of a special envoy specifically for the HoA is likely to benefit the region in many and important ways. Firstly, the region is faced with challenges like like security in South Sudan, Somalia and the Tigray question in Ethiopia. Considering the fact that China’s Foreign Policy has long been non-interference in internal affairs of sovereign countries, China’s role in ensuring peace in the region cannot be underestimated. It comes in as a brotherly country, not to give lectures but on equal footing and to listen while emphasizing dialogue and advise where possible but most importantly, leaving concerned parties to decide their future.
The second pillar – acceleration of regional revitalization to overcome development challenges will help the region to get back on track of accelerated development after Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted the region. Before Covid-19 pandemic, African economies like Ethiopia and Kenya both in the HoA were projected to grow faster upwards. However, with the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on world economies, in 2020, the region’s DGP according to African Development Bank, fell by 3.4% which is about 7% if compared with pre-pandemic estimates. To rebound from this decline, African countries need investments and meaningful development cooperation from trusted allies. With China-Africa cooperation characterised by mutual benefits and mutual respect, there is no doubt the China’s special envoy for HoA will play a positive role by working with countries within the region to accelerate development agenda that mutually benefit the two sides.
The HoA has already seen tangible results from Sino-Africa cooperation. A recent study by the Africa Policy Institute found that since the launch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, Beijing has supported modern infrastructure projects in the HoA region contributing to thousands of employment opportunities and other multiplier effects. The report cites examples from Kenya showing positive impact of Kenya’s China built 670-kilometer modern Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) connecting Mombasa and Kenya’s inland port of Naivasha. The report also highlights China built Ethiopia-Djibouti standard gauge railway that connects landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti port crediting it for improving transport in the region. The 752.7-km railway line constructed under China’s BRI recorded over 86.13 million U.S. dollars in revenue in 2021, which is up 37.5% compared to 2020 revenue collections, according to the Africa Policy Institute study.
Relatedly, China is arguably the only developing country that managed to end extreme poverty well ahead of UN’s target timeframe. Poverty and famine remain a major problem in the HoA with many people in countries like Somalia and Ethiopia struggling to find a single meal a day. In Somalia for example, experts are warning that more than 3.2 million people are at risk of severe famine due to severe successive drought and poverty. “Drought in Somalia is worsening, with millions of people facing threat of famine. The situation is exacerbated by high level of poverty…,” notes a Seattle based relief and development organisation World Concern. Aware that African countries including those in the horn of Africa are still battling social challenges like extreme poverty and hanger, the HoA region can use this opportunity to learn from China’s practical successful interventions that saw Beijing succeeding in ending extreme poverty thereby lifting the country’s millions of poor from living miserable life.
As noted by ambassador Xue in his address to Ugandan media, “the HoA of Africa sits on an important location, with a large population and huge development potential. Regional peace and stability are of great significance to the peace, stability, development and prosperity of the entire Africa.” With China’s philosophy of building a community with a shared future for mankind, one can confidently argue that African countries in the HoA working closely with China will most likely address the region’s challenges.
While some western capitals seem to conveniently misinterpret this development claiming that China’s appointment of a special envoy for the HoA is an effort by Beijing to expand its regional influence, and others branding it part of a major power game, if critically analysed, China’s intentions are pure as Beijing seeks to promote development of allies in developing countries with philosophy of building a community of a shared future for mankind. This is contrary to some western capitals, media and pundits who often look at things from the perspective of geopolitics and major power games.
Indeed, ambassador Xue told Ugandan journalists that “Africa is not an arena for major power games,” stressing that “China sincerely cares about the development of Africa, and always treats African countries with mutual respect on equal footing.”
Broadly one can conclude that China appointing a special envoy for the HoA when they already have a Director General Department for Africa affairs at Ministry of Foreign affairs can be interpreted that Beijing has high regard for the region. Despite China’s critics, China’s willingness to support developing countries to realise their full potential is not new. As Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta observed while launching the 27 KM Nairobi express funded by China; “Our partnership with China is one that is mutually beneficial that is based on win-win and we are very grateful to the Chinese government, to the Chinese people for the support that they continue to render not only to our country but to the rest of Africa.”
While China’s critics claim that appointment of a special envoy for the HoA is meant to grow Beijing’s regional and global influence, China has always supported developing countries in development struggles. For example, in his address to world leaders’ during the 76th United Nations General Assembly’s 76th session, Chinese president Xi Jinping presented what he described as Global Development Initiative listing six key areas to support development efforts world over as governments try to overcome effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
Also, the appointment of special envoy for the HoA is not China’s first developmental engagement in Africa. For a fact, China unequivocally supports sovereignty of developing countries that one insinuating that Beijing is using “tricks” to gain influence over the region is not just a joke but it is an insult to the long good relations between African countries and China. For example, while under colonial bondage, many African countries received support from China thereby contributing to their struggles to snap the shackles of colonial minority humiliation. In 1960s while China’s per capita GDP was less than that of Sub-Saharan Africa, China supported and southern Africa’s infrastructure with $400 million which helped in construction of the famous Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA). This is enough to conclude that for long, China’s interest has been not to develop alone but rather building a large successful community with a shared successful future.
Therefore, regional leaders in the HoA should mobilize their citizens to book a seat in China’s drives to build a community of shared future for mankind and together build a prosperous and peaceful HoA and Africa in general.
The author is Executive Director of Development Watch Centre; a foreign policy think tank.