Wang Yi's visit reaffirms China's 30 years of ties with Africa

As Winston Churchill had said, "Never let a crisis go to waste". While we suffer from setbacks as a result of COVID-19 at different levels, we know that as long as we are alive, we would have to find ways to move forward.

In finding ways to move forward and taking Africa along, China bolsters its cooperation with Africa in the first three days of 2021 by launching the nation's first free trade agreement (with Mauritius after three years of negotiations. Meanwhile, in keeping to its promise made 31 years ago, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting five African nations – Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Tanzania and Seychelles.

Notably, over 30 ago, China decided to introduce a tradition of enabling its foreign ministers to make the continent of Africa their first visit of the new year. Since then, China has kept its promise, even as the coronavirus rages globally and the continent of Africa recently saw novel new virus strain, which scientist said will quicken the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Wang has remained committed to the diplomatic tradition to visit the continent, which truly demonstrates China as that reliable and true friend that helps at a difficult time who Africans can rely on.

As the world is busy combating the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang's visit indicates that among all the superpowers that preach about helping Africa recovers from COVID-19, only Chinese foreign minister has chosen the continent of Africa as his first destination at the start of each year for over three decades, which shows the great importance the Chinese people attach to their relationship with African people.

It gladdens my heart to say that China's unshakable willingness and commitment toward its diplomatic engagement with the continent of Africa is a privilege that will forever be cherished by African people and is not comparable to other African partners.

As for why Wang Yi is visiting these five African nations, I believe these countries were chosen because they represent the five different parts of the continent of Africa, and choosing them displays an extension of China's foreign policy on its relationship with the continent of Africa.

Also, since 53 percent of Africa's import comes from nations highly impacted by COVID-19, and 51 percent of Africa's export goes to nations highly impacted by COVID-19, Africa has been confronted with a "twin supply-demand shock".

As such, resource-rich African nations, such as Nigeria and the Republic of Congo, selection implies that both nations will benefit from Wang's visit for the reason that they are particularly highly reliant on Chinese demand for their post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

So, Wang's visit is anticipated to provide more initiatives to stabilize policies against the backdrop of snowballing continent turbulence that will help the continent experience the classic "V-shaped" recovery that has put China on track to record a higher percentage growth in 2021.

In addition, the visit is timely because it is coming at the time when COVID-19 pandemic has pushed Sub-Saharan Africa into its first recession in 25 years and many African nations are facing a financial crisis and have applied for debt relief from the group of G20, including China.

As such, the visit implies that there are great potentials for China and Africa to create more "relief hope" in the next decade as the relationship advances. During the most trying time in Africa's fight against the coronavirus in 2020, China took the lead to create a world where more compassion and more empathy makes us human by signing debt service suspension pacts with 12 African nations, and reduced or waived interest-free loans for 15 African nations due at the end of 2020.

Furthermore, the year 2020 was of special significance in world history and in the history of Sino-Africa-cooperation. Looking back at 2020, Africa-China cooperation under COVID-19 pandemic has not stalled, and Africa-China cooperation has stood the test of time.

Deepening the unity in combating the pandemic will be a major focus in Wang's visit to African nations. This is because the Chinese government has always emphasized the necessity to make an affordable vaccine that does not pose an insurmountable logistical challenge accessible to the continent of Africa as soon as possible.

Therefore, Wang visit is timely because it is occurring at a time China is deepening its cooperation with African nations in the fight against COVID-19 as well as China has approved its self-developed vaccines and African nations are in dire need for vaccines in 2021.

It is worth mentioning that with China making the vaccine accessible for the continent of Africa, this will create a "relief hope" as well as be beneficial for the continent, otherwise, the continent of Africa would be marginalized internationally in tourism, trade and economic recovery.

According to data from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, total FDI flows from China into Africa amounted to $95.7 billion from 2005 to 2019, representing 7.8 percent of China's outbound FDI over the 15-year period.

Therefore, looking at the future, it is inevitable that China will increase its investment in Africa. Of course, this also requires policy support, such as aid funding for Africa. As such, there are great potentials for China and Africa to create more "relief hope" in the next decade.

Apart from traditional cooperation, China could focus more on new infrastructure construction in Africa that will help to propel the African Continental Free Trade Area that has a market of 1.2 billion people and a combined GDP of $3 trillion.

The industrial parks, or special economic zones, could be a major engine to link the continent with the global market. Based on numerous studies concerning the Chinese companies that are migrating to Africa, I believe that investing in industrialization may be a trend as manufacturing footwear and garments and processing agriculture products have proven to be successful in numerous African nations.

In conclusion, Wang's Yi visit should be a starting point in the post-COVID-19 era for China and Africa nations to work together to build a high quality Belt and Road that will grow into a road of collaboration to meet the challenges in people-to-people harmony, to build a road of health that will safeguard the health of the people, to build a road of recovery that will promote social and economic recovery and build a road of advancement that will help both African nations and China unleash development potentials in the post-COVID-19 era.

Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi is executive director of the Center for Nigerian Studies at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University.

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