Experts hail Xi's role in China-Africa relations

A South African scholar has launched a new book that outlines the success of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and Chinese President Xi Jinping's contribution to its growth ahead of the forum's summit next month.

The book, titled Xi Jinping and the Flourishing Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in the New Era, was launched by Paul Tembe, a senior researcher at the University of South Africa, on Friday in Pretoria.

President Xi has made a significant contribution to the FOCAC's success with his astute leadership, Tembe said at the launching ceremony. He said China has made major contributions to the infrastructural development in Africa, improved people-to-people relations and given scholarships to African students to study in China.

"We are looking at FOCAC in history, present and the future. FOCAC has grown to be a template for the developing world, particularly in the Global South," said Tembe, who is a senior lecturer at the University of South Africa.

He said the FOCAC has a multi-pronged approach that implements global initiatives. "Africans are not summoned to Beijing every three years, there is consultation and consensus, it's a partnership of equals."

He said Chinese proposals such as the Belt and Road Initiative can foster synergy with Africa's blueprint Agenda 2063.

The 317-page book examines FOCAC since its inception in 2000, analyzes the outcomes of each summit and evaluates if the commitments are met.

In his book, Tembe said: "The African Union and China have witnessed elevated instances of dynamic agency and successful cooperation and partnership of equals. Under the joint leadership and promotion by President Xi and African leaders, China-Africa relations have entered a new era of building an even closer China-Africa community with a shared future which has become a model for building a community with a shared future for mankind."

Jeffrey Mathethe Sehume, co-author of the book, said they decided to write about Xi because of his "exemplary" leadership in the pursuit of peace, climate justice and multilateralism.

FOCAC has set a benchmark for countries even in the Global North, Sehume said.

Sehume said: "Xi supports the centrality of green globalization, and removing trade barriers. Xi urges people to protect nature. He emphasizes family values. In South Africa, we resonate with his thinking because of gender-based violence and broken families."

In the book, Tembe said Xi's approach to China-Africa diplomacy is underpinned by several factors. These include no interference in African countries' pursuit of development paths that fit their national conditions, no interference in African countries' internal affairs, no imposition of will on African countries and no attachment of political strings to assistance to Africa, which have been widely applauded by African countries.

Mutual respect

Speaking at the book's launch ceremony, Wu Peng, China's ambassador to South Africa, said the FOCAC has become a model for international cooperation. He stressed that China's cooperation with Africa is underpinned by mutual respect, joint consultation and treating each other as equals. He said the upcoming FOCAC summit in Beijing will discuss the future of Africa and China and expressed confidence it will live up to its expectations and take the friendship forward.

South Africa's African National Congress national executive member, Lindiwe Zulu, congratulated Tembe for his book. She said Tembe is sharing his experience having lived and studied in China.

Zulu, a former minister of social development and small business development, said Xi is committed to a win-win situation.

She said: "Win-win means that both partners gain out of the relationship, in this case, we are looking at the prosperity of China and Africa. We want to work with China for our mineral beneficiation and industrialization. We want to see the developments we have witnessed in China to be in Africa."

Arthur Mutambara, professor of the Institute for the Future of Knowledge at the University of Johannesburg, said Africans want a win-win partnership with China. He said Africa wants to use friendship with China to have prosperity and inclusive economic growth and add value to the continent's products.

Mutambara, also former deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe, said: "We want to build a capable and ethical state just like your government … We want to work with China or Europe to add value to our natural resources to achieve inclusive growth."

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.