Friday, March 29, 2024

China has brought more development to Africa than any other partner -AU

Share

FILE: 29th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU.

African Union Member States have expressed concern at what they termed as the bashing of Chinese Cooperation with Africa from some sectors of the media and some western countries.

The AU Member States voiced this concern during a forum to review some of the resolutions of the 3rd Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that was themed a New Blue Print for a Win-win Cooperation and Common Development.

The African Countries want the African Union to come up with stringent measures to curb the negative perception that China is slowly colonizing the continent through its massive investment on the continent.

Responding to concerns, Adviser on Strategic Partnerships to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nadine Elhakim said China has brought a lot to the African continent than any other partners.

She said China took the risk of long-term investment in Africa when other partners thought doing so was risky.

Dr. Elhakim said China was the only partner that had developed a business model on infrastructure as it had a realisation that no meaningful development could be achieved in Africa with poor infrastructure.

She said Africa needs in excess of 100 billion dollars for infrastructure and that China has offered a share of these funds to improve infrastructure in Africa states.

Dr. Elhakim said the partnership between China and Africa will also see more trade between China and the continent.

And Head of Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the African Union, Ambassador Lui Yuxi said the China Africa partnership is different as it was built on mutual respect and assistance.

He said unlike other partners, China has resolved not to get involved in any African Country’s internal affairs but strictly limit its partnership to development.

Mr. Yuxi said China does not want to colonise any African State as has been insinuated but wants to mainly exchange its technological know how with African States in order to transform lives.

And Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Susan Sikaneta said Africa including Zambia holds the partnership with China in high esteem as it has proved that it was an all whether Friend to the African continent.

And Zimbabwe’s Deputy Ambassador to Ethiopia, Winipeg Moyo said the negative publicity and perception about the China Africa partnership is making the citizenry in many African states to criticise their governments over the cooperation between the two.

Speaking at the same function, President of the Board of Trustees of Centre for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation, CDRC President Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin said China’s policy of non-interference in African countries internal affairs and china’s preference to complement Africa’s development within the framework of win win cooperation and mutual benefits laid a foundation that could not be broken.

This is according to a statement issued by Inutu Mwanza, the First Secretary for Press and Tourism at the Zambia Embassy in Ethiopia.

43 COMMENTS

  1. erm, I am not sure China is giving without anything in return, that may be true but their investments are suspicious and arent transparent enough for any noble peprson to trust the hand giving.

    I smell something bad..

    I am Mushota Chimfwembe

    Thanks

    BB2014,2016

    • We are not disputing this assertion!

      What we are disputing is the ignorance of individual countries and later on the AU seating down and coming up with an African vision purely based on infrastructure such as …

      Building rails from cape to Cairo and criss crossing SADC and other African blocks.

      AU should be in the driving seat negotiating contracts for infrastructure as a block!

      You have instead taken a seat back and watching individual nations do investments in projects that will not to the best of intended purposes over the the projects as a whole for the benefit of Africa.

      You are indeed toothless AU – best you shut up!!

    • It’s extremely sad that our leaders in Africa think that outsiders are the ones that will develop Africa. This is exactly why we are where we are and will remain backward. If we don’t realise that it’s our job to develop our country, then we might as well surrender our independence. Everyone is here for their own interest. China, Russia, Europe, USA….They all have their own interests at heart. But our naive, ignorant leaders, who are plagued by a dependence syndrome think that we will be developed by outsiders, without coming up with our own strategies and resources. Shame

    • If not for the fears African and international watchers are raising, these ‘concerns’ would not be there. China is out for business and Africa must match that seriousness, not just by receiving aids, loans and infrastructure. What about the market they are leaving for the Chinese to control, when the AfCFTA is still not in operation?

    • @ Mushota i am with you on this one. Are you fresh from confession? Other western countries are equally if not more determined to promote development in Africa but for the fact that they emphasize on good governance, most dictators in our continent perceived them as anti-development. Most African presidents come humbly into power and when in power they become Kings. Don;t want to let go peacefully. I salute Botswana as a shining example of good democracy.

    • Remember that unlike the western countries, China doesn’t forgive nkongole, they just confiscate the funded projects

    • This is extremely naive on the part of the AU. You think China is this loving great benefactor who is only interested in developing Africa? No way. China has her own interests to look out for. Pay attention to the conditions China lays out when you negotiate the loans. Also prove that China has not been taking over national assets in countries such Djibouti and Sri Lanka for defaulting on their loans. Secondly, claiming that China will not be interfering in the politics of African nations is naive too. China will favor certain leaders of nations that they’ll feel comfortable doing business with, and they’ll make sure that these leaders/puppets stay in power to serve Chinese interests. Same strategy France uses in West Africa. The AU needs to concentrate of finding ways to develop…

    • … the continent—with or without China. What would you do if China decided to end all loan dealings with African countries? Do not be overly dependent on China.

    • CORRECT, AU IS RIGHT BUT AS SINKAMBA GREEN PARTY PRESIDENT HAS ALREADY PUT IT, IF YOU APPROACH CHINA WITH A WEAK MINDSET, CHINA WILL HELP YOU AT YOUR WEAK LEVEL. NEGOCIATE FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH, THEY WILL TREAT YOU LIKE EQUAL PARTNERS.
      =======================
      How are we taking up the Chinese opportunities. Truth be told, we heard MCS while in opposition condemn and castigate the Chineese when they were embraced by LPM. When became president he removed CK from the Ministry of labour for a confrontation with the Chineese. Not long ago double h in opposition was allegedly trying to sweet-talk the Chineese by way of coercion, on account of falsehood that he will be president one day, in his letter for cuts in contracts.

    • after 400 years of the European man arrival in to Africa, in lump-some can it be possibly compared to what China have done and or taken in exchange sine China’s arrival? Shut you unintelligent trap!

  2. What Zambians should be thinking about is how to work smartly with the chinese.

    The tribe in Zambia that is extremely xenophobic needs exposure to international issues.

  3. Simple Logic – Consider this…

    You have a House and Family of Your Own.
    And you want somebody, who has his own House and Family, to develop Yours for You.
    Well – don’t complain if he sleeps with your wife up to your last born daughter.

  4. AU’s statement should’ve read “African leadership has brought more development to Africa” . These people don’t see that dependency is not a good thing China is not a charity house.

  5. Yes it can be argued that China is a better partner than Europe and America in terms of socio-political interferance but the AU needs to look beyond that. They need to pursue a balanced partnership between China and Africa – not just in trade and investment but also socially and economically. They should no longer allow their people to be slaves on their own continent in the name of granting a “best-friend-priviledge” to China.

    • I have just read that China has poured a lot of money in Australia to the extent that the same complaint our people have voiced is coming from the local population as the Chinese involvement has put prices of real estate beyond ordinary Australian.

  6. Well said AU and hope dull Kainde has heard this!!!African Union please help PF Govnt which appreciates Chinese investment to African to remain in power in Zambia beyond 2030 so that Zambia can even develop further!!!We have anti-Chinese opposition leaders in Zambia such as HH,Kambwili and others,so AU should decampaign these creatures so that they can lose terribly in 2021.Majority Zambians appreciate what China has done to our country!!!
    Moreover,why is HH against Chinese investment when the whole Africa appreciate it?Is Kainde the only wise man in Africa?BRAVO AU FOR SHAMING THIS TONGA MAN!!!
    NO COUNTRY IN THE WORLD CAN PUMP $60 BILLION INTO AFRICA APART FROM CHINA-KAINDE WANVELA?

  7. The sooner Africa realises the real serious friends the better. When we were colonised by the British everything came from Britain these included but not limited to; Toilet cisterns and seats (Armitage shanks), Underwares long buttons, police uniforms etc etc and Nobody talked. And now China is building roads, bridges schools, hospitals etc etc. But the sadists together with the guilty former colonisers are pretending not to see these developments. Maybe they are envious of Africa because Africa will have better and newer infrastructure. AU leaders, you are our leaders you have done us proud by recognising the role that china is playing in Africa. Shame on those that are blind and cannot see the bigger picture. Africa will only start developing itself when infrastructure is developed.

    • Where have you been Chendabusiku all our toilets, sinks , tools and cloths come from China and the British built roads , bridges, townships no different except they also educated and put systems of procedures in place for govt. something china does not do, just remember this infrastructure is for their interest, so they can get their copper to port or power to their factory and remember its there convict labour doing the work and their bank loans and in future they need farm land to grow food for Chinese not Zambians. wake up.

    • @12.1 Cosmos, while I do NOT entirely support the posture taken by African leaders towards China, I PARTLY AGREE with @12chendausiku. The things you have mentioned as coming from China only started recently after that country made social and technological advancement. In the past almost everything in Africa came from former colonisers-if you know “Armitage Shanks” then you will understand what @12 is talking about!! Until KK banned the “”Mail Order” transactions in order to promote local textile industry, we used to import clothes from UK!! The Chinese finance and build infrastructure where “WE” as free people tell them to, and it is not for taking natural resources, that is propaganda.What minerals did they take when they built Tazara,Mukuku bridge,Grt North Road etc? Don’t…

    • ..Continued from 12.2.. Please don’t be misled, the towns and administrative procedures the British and other colonisers put in Africa were intended to benefit them NOT an African. Even infrastructure was built for their own good NOT for you and me! It is them who built infrastructure to take natural resources, railway line, tarred roads,power stations going to mining towns and to ports! All non mining towns in Zambia saw tarred roads and electricity after independence.PLEASE TAKE A MORE CLEARER LOOK AND NOTICE THAT THE MAJOR COPPER MINES IN ZAMBIA ARE OWNED BY THE ANGLO SAXON NOT THE CHINESE! What we we consume is mostly from S.Africa, controlled by whites NOT Chinese BUT NO campaign has been waged against them as they feel entitled to exploit Africa!!

  8. The sustained attacks on Zambia by the arrogant opposition and disgraced former colonisers is just one way to frastrate the notable development taking place. And now to proove a point they have downgraded Zambian banks and the economic outlook. The main reason is not economic it is a bigger conspiracy. We pray that we shall overcome this evil. Development is a must for our great nation. Who ever is president in Zambia now or later will promote development there is no turning back.

  9. And this thinking is from the highest organ representing the African people. His argument is that the western world is not pouring in as much of their resources as the Chinese are. Where does that leave our own indigenous resources? Human, natural as well as diaspora? If at your level you cannot think of harnessing them then woe to us Africans for we shall forever remain poor and in bondage. Latest masters? Chinese!
    I guess I have to apologies to the PF. Sorry, I thought it was your reasoning and way of doing things which was the problem, I didn’t know that it was an African thing and all you are doing is to simply to be authentic, being African!! Sorry mwe

  10. And this thinking is from the highest organ representing the African people. His argument is that the western world is not pouring in as much of their resources as the Chinese are. Where does that leave our own indigenous resources? Human, natural as well as those in the diaspora? If at your level you cannot think of harnessing them then woe to us Africans for we shall forever remain poor and in bondage. Our new masters? Chinese!
    I guess I now have to apologies to you ba PF. I am sorry, I thought it was your reasoning and way of doing things which was the problem, I didn’t know that it is an African thing and all you are doing is to simply be authentic, being African!! Sorry mwe

  11. Remember those tin-smiths of those days (are they still at it?) who would foist their product on you even when you had no clue how to pay back? Then they would aggressively pursue their payment and end up confiscating something from you other than the ‘ci bafa’ you got from them? Well, that is China my friends. Watch what they are doing in SE Asia. Our AU are just a bunch of pensioned, clueless old school timid loungers who are not even sure what will happen when they are recalled back … yea I SAID IT!!

  12. Who has benefited more from Chinese “development”, Africans or Chinese?
    By the way, how much has PRC contributed in grants and transfer of technology?

  13. Development Cooperation is cyclical. In many respects, China is closer to the Western market than the African market itself. China is also sowing back into the African continent what it is harvesting from it. China joins the list of dependable development partners for Africa, including Britain, Japan, EU, USA. There is no need to amplify China’s contribution. The criteria needs to be clearly stated. All contributions to Africa are important. The development partner that offers 100 scholarships is not necessarily better than the partner that offers 50 scholarships. There is need to respect partners, big or small. Ultimately, Africa must become a world power in its own right.

  14. Africa needs neither the West nor the East. However, it is too timid, or perhaps, too afraid to exploit its own resources. The West, upon arrival, saw the opportunity and ran away with it. They extracted Africa’s mineral resources, leaving behind trenches, empty ditches as well as massive amounts of pollution. Then came the East, and took away the rest, leaving behind some imitation of development, at which, Africa looks and forge a forced smile.

  15. Time and again, we are reminded of how much a poor student of history, an African is; and how enfeebling his propensity to forget. Not too long ago, during the Triangular Slave Trade, he, the African, was himself the commodity – proof that our so called friends from the West will stop at nothing in their quest for prosperity. Now, we are again learning that the Chinese, good as they appear to be, are sucking blood out of us; and will soon leave us lifeless.

  16. What are we seeing now that we haven’t seen before? It’s a replay. Neither the game nor the rules by which it is played have changed. It’s Africa that needs to wake-up out of sleep, but not while under the seeming heavy dose of this dangerous drug called CORRUPTION. Sleep walk is not only dangerous. It is catastrophic. And yet that is the end that Africa, its mineral resources depleted, is jovially courting.

    • Talk about being “jovial”: when the men from the West came and gave our chiefs mirrors in exchange for our brothers and sisters, didn’t they leave us smiling and feeling good? How different were our smiles then from what they are today, for what Chinese are now giving us in exchange for what they are taking from us? We may have been ignorant and uneducated then. But how different are we today, now that we consider ourselves educated and no longer ignorant?

  17. THESE LEADERS ARE ONLY LOOKING AT THERE POCKETS.BUSY PRAISING CHINA. MY DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS THEYS NOTHING FOR FREE.THESE CHINESE ARE GIVING CASH TO OUR LEADERS THEY IS NEED TO PAY THEM BACK. ALL THERE DOINGS WILL COME AND ENSLAVE US IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading