#Focac: With the decolonisation and liberation of Africa from colonial domination, the continent has struggled to plan for its development.
In this post-independence struggle, Africa has been on its own without fruitful aid that would pave a way for its educational expansion, industrialisation, science and technological breakthrough.
The foreign aid hitherto given to Africa was not geared towards meaningful development as the donors were not ready for African development and the African leaders were nothing but stooges for perpetual economic imperialism.
With the emergence of China as a new global economic power (being the second-largest economy in the world), African countries came to have confidence in China as a new partner in political, economic and socio-cultural relations in contemporary global order.
China and Africa share many things – hence for further co-operation and representation of developing countries, China has taken the lead in establishing this promising forum on China-Africa co-operation.
The 2000 Beijing declaration on China-Africa co-operation has been a vital foundation for this. What has been established in the areas of respect to the interest and sovereignty of member states, and co-operation in the fields of education, health, energy and seeking African representation in the UN Security Council, among others, are significant in the pursuit of China-Africa co-operation.
The presence of China in Africa and co-operation between the two has improved agriculture, education, energy, infrastructure and health in Africa, and even boosted the African economy. Educationally speaking, I benefited from a Chinese scholarship between 2008 and 2011.
During the Ebola outbreak in Africa, the Chinese government deployed a team of medical professionals to contribute to seeing the end of the epidemic.
The Addis Ababa action plan for 2004-6 is also a paramount development for China-Africa co-operation.
The second Beijing summit of 2006 has been a wonderful one where Hu Jintao rolled out $5 billion as concessionary loans to Africa.
President Hu also declared the formation of the China-Africa development fund to aid Chinese investment in Africa, with initial provision of $1bn, which later increased to $5bn for the future.
With the above development, China-Africa co-operation has perpetuated itself in a waxing nature which ushered the Sharm el-Sheikh summit of 2009 in Egypt, where loans to Africa increased to $10bn from the implemented $5bn of the Beijing summit of 2006. Focac, during summit, also established more areas of co-operation and assistance between China and Africa, especially in the areas of energy, scientific research, agriculture, health and education.
More agricultural professionals were sent from China to Africa in order to aid in ensuring food security, more schools were built in Africa by the Chinese government and more scholarships for post-doctoral, Master’s and under-graduate students were provided for Africa.
China, in its co-operation with Africa, has succeeded in transforming Ethiopia by constructing the first city ring road, the first express way, the first city light rail, the first electrified railway and the first power-generating project. Schools have been built in Nigeria by the Chinese government, airports remodelled, railways, refineries and bridges constructed, and more.
The identified areas of co-operation between Africa and China are numerous and not limited to oil and gas, power, manufacturing, health, transportation, aviation, trading, construction, ICT, education, hospitality, textile and defence.
These are strategic areas in which the two parties must continue to co-operate and explore mutual benefits. As a result of such co-operation, China customs recorded a significant increase in the volume of trade between Nigeria and China in 2014.
In its attempt to foster economic and diplomatic co-operation on the basis of mutual benefit with Africa, China has built 39 hospitals in Angola, 78 schools, 14 power transformation stations, 20 water-processing factories, 7 500 hectares of agricultural irrigation projects, upgraded 223 community networks, constructed 1 343km of railway, 892km of roads, and 736km of power transmission lines for the betterment of the people of Angola.
Without doubt the future of world peace and security hinges on the foreign policy and diplomatic principles of China, which are both peaceful and inclusive.
The Chinese approach to global politics is peaceful in nature, with non-interference in the affairs of independent states, respect to the sovereignty of others and peaceful resolutions to all existing conflicts.
With the concurrent co-operation between China and Africa, it is believed that an era has come in which Africa will be freed from the lingering problems of poverty, unemployment, diseases and lack of infrastructural development.
It is also believed that China in its capacity as a permanent member of the UN Security Council will continue to support global peace and security with its principle of peaceful co-existence and dialogue.
The co-operation between China and Africa will continue to take Africa to greater heights.
China will be in favour of Africa in any discussion on the North-South divide and in finding a more reasonable position of the South.
Industrialisation is one area where China has to consolidate effort for Africa and the area of scientific and technological research and development.
One major issue that is bedevilling Africa is the issue of terrorism: instability in Libya; uncertainties in northern Mali; war between factions in South Sudan; terrorism in Somalia and Kenya; Boko Haram in Nigeria; among others.
China must deepen co-operation with Africa with the hope that the Focac meeting will strategise on these lingering problems of Africa, because with the absence of peace and security, there will be no educational, economic and political activities.
* Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim is with the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Abuja in Nigeria.
** The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Independent Media.
THE STAR