CHINA’S participation in the development of Africa did not start yesterday or today.
Records shows that the second largest economy in the world started extending help to Africa nations before they gained independence. China started helping African countries when it was still poor and when it was still regarded as the third world country.
However, despite having a small economy at that time, still, it was able to provide various aids to African countries regardless of its economic situation.
A living example is its aid for the construction of the TAZARA railway which cost about $406 million. Records show that China provided that aid to Tanzania during the period when the country was still poor and while its people were in great need of basic needs.
The construction of TAZARA even cost the lives of more than 60 Chinese builders. It is important to note that, when China was helping African countries during the struggle for independence and even after independence, millions of its citizens were still poor. Most of them had a severe shortage of food and many other basic needs.
However, despite the situation, China was fully and sincerely committed to helping African countries by providing them with various technical and humanitarian aids.
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But with the loving and compassionate hearts, all the Chinese stood firm and supported their government’s efforts and plans to help poor countries, including those in Africa. When Western countries imposed severe economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, China was the first country to come forward to help it and save the lives of its people.
The western sanctions caused great losses and weakened the economy of Zimbabwe and thus led to the decline of social services.
As a result of these sanctions, many commercial activities stopped and deteriorated, developmental infrastructure such as transport, energy, communication were in bad state due to lack of money to repair them. Health services were very poor due to the lack of medicine and medical equipment, tourism decreased due to the damaged transport infrastructure and the lack of spare parts to repair tourist vehicles, planes etc.
As a great partner and friend of Zimbabwe, China came for ward and volunteered to help Zimbabwe to save the lives of Zimbabweans who were facing shortage of food, medicine, clean and safe drinking water as well as many other basic services. During the difficult period of Western economic sanctions, China provided Zimbabwe with 16,500 tonnes of corn and 4,000 tonnes of beans.
In addition to the aid, China also provided USD $19 million to buy emergency food, of which $5 million was provided through the international organisation WFP. China’s emergency food aid to Zimbabwe was the largest aid ever given by any country in the world at the time.
It should be understood that the objectives of the western economic sanctions against Zimbabwe were to weaken the country’s economy and weaken social services and thus force the people to march to the streets to remove the national leadership from office. Though the goals of the sanctions to remove the national leadership from office failed, such sanctions caused serious harm and weakened the country’s economy.
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Despite the western countries glorifying themselves to be defenders of human rights, they were in the front line to restrict the rights of Zimbabweans by preventing them from getting food and other social services. Instead, it was China that came forward and became a great defender of human rights and provided Zimbabweans with food, medicine and other social aid.
Without China coming forward to help Zimbabwe, many Zimbabweans would have suffered much. It is undeniable fact that African nations have passed through difficult periods, one of those periods is the period in which African nations were separated by redrawing new borders.
Due to that action, many African families were separated, causing loneliness and hatred among African communities. Unlike western countries, China had always respected and has continued to respect African countries’ territorial integrity, their cultures and beliefs.
China’s non-interference policy has been a pillar of strengthening cooperation between China and African nations and leading those countries to have faith and hope in it while relying more on it in solving their economic challenges. It should be pointed out that after African nations gained independence, those countries continued to be in the dark, facing many economic challenges.
This situation forced African countries to continue to be ruled economically, politically and culturally. In addition to that the lack of capital and experts as well as the lack of fund to build developmental infrastructure made them unable to liberate themselves economically and achieve sustainable development.
Thresholds and difficult conditions for obtaining loans from Western countries and their financial organisations were an obstacle to the development of Africa. Thus, the emergence of China as a major donor, lender and investor in Africa brought comfort and contributed hugely to economic growth in Africa.
The loans given by China to African countries have enabled those countries to build many developmental infrastructure that have been the catalyst for development in those countries. In addition, through China’s infrastructure financing, African countries have been able to build strategic infrastructure that reduce their infrastructure gap.
China’s great economic potential has helped the availability of capital and softer loans that have helped build social projects and development infrastructure. All the infrastructure built with China’s financing have contributed greatly in accelerating the development of Africa.
China has emerged at the right time when African countries needed a trusted partner that could contribute in resolving their challenges that hindered their development.
African nations also, needed a sponsor and a friendly country that would lead them to success without prioritising its own interests. In addition, African countries needed a trusted partner that would not interfere in their internal affairs and who would respect their territorial integrity, their cultures and beliefs, etc.
Indeed, that partner has happened to be none other than China. China is a true friend and development partner of African countries. Its non-intervention policy has been beneficial in strengthening diplomatic relations and commercial cooperation with African countries.
Through this policy, many African countries, even those with internal political conflicts, have continued to do business with China and benefit from its aid. One of the advantages of non-interference is that, China emphasises on respective countries to resolve their internal political conflicts by themselves.
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Another advantage is that China continues to help and provide loans to all conflict countries regardless of their internal conflicts.
It should be understood that, when we say that China does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, it does not mean that China does not involve itself in solving conflicts of other countries, no, but it always emphises on all respective parties to solve their internal conflicts without being interfered.
The reason is that China resolves disputes by considering the interests of all parties and according to the wishes of the two conflicting parties.
By using its non-intervention policy, China has been able to broker peace between some conflicting nations and parties etc. Through its policy of non-intervention, China has been a true savior and a great supporter of many African countries because many of the countries with internal conflicts have continued to benefit from China’s financial aid, technical assistance and low-interest loans.
Unlike Western countries that stop giving aid and loans to countries with internal political conflicts, China considers these conflicts as internal problems that should be addressed and resolved by the relevant parties involved.
Due to its non-interference policy, many African countries have had a great opportunity to benefit from the fruits of its success through its financial aid, technical assistance, loans and funding for the construction of developmental infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, football fields, technical colleges, agricultural exhibition centres, libraries water projects etc.
In addition to that China has been sending its various agricultural and health experts to Africa to treat patients, train local health officials and local agricultural experts.
It has also continued to provide various scholarships to Africans from various countries to study in China and receive short and long term training.
This programme has been productive and has helped to increase the knowledge and expertise to Africans and increase the number of experts in various fields. China’s willingness to help African countries without prioritising self interests and string attached and without interfering in their internal affairs, has made it become an important nation, a friend and a true partner of all African countries.
• The writer is a Dar es Salaambased analyst on international politics and foreign relations. Email: cleophacegeorge@gmail.com)
