A China-Africa Symposium was held on 11-12 August, 2016 in Mombasa, Kenya, on the theme "Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development". It was co-hosted by the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China, the China-Africa Development Fund, the African Economic Research Consortium, and the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis. Dozens of Chinese and African researchers, media practitioners and think tanks participating in the meeting deliberated on the priorities of China-Africa cooperation following the 10-point agenda proposed by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, at the Second China-Africa Cooperation Summit held in Johannesburg last December. Among the priorities are the acceleration of industrialisation and the modernisation of agriculture. Back from Mombasa, the Executive Secretary of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Mr. Ebrima Sall, analyses for allafrica.com the issues around this intended new direction in the partnership between Africa and China, but also the role African think tanks must play in this new dynamic.
You are back from a symposium on "Win-Win Cooperation for Development" held on 12 August in Mombasa, Kenya. What are the main resolutions that came out from the meeting?
It was a symposium of Africa and China think tanks and media practitioners. It reflected on China-Africa cooperation for mutually beneficial development. Participants from some twenty African as well as Asian countries attended the meeting. Among them were academics, government representatives and policy makers. The idea was to build on the conclusions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Johannesburg in December last year. It was the first time this forum was held on the African continent with the participation of several African Heads of State and the Chinese Head of State. There was the Johannesburg Declaration which was adopted and which revisits the preceding Beijing Declaration adopted 10 years ago. The Johannesburg text has included the issue of cooperation in order to try to identify new priorities.
Three reference documents guided discussions in Mombasa. The first one is Agenda 2063 adopted by the African Union. The second relates to the post-2015 Development Agenda adopted by the United Nations Summit in September last year. The third is the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party which will be celebrated in 2021. Supporters of this political party want to bring China's development to a certain level by 2021. As a result, there is virtually a 10-year period covered by a number of initiatives. The idea is to say that there are common objectives during that period and ambitions to do a number of things in terms of development, global as well as Africa's and China's. It is necessary therefore to see how China and Africa could cooperate to achieve the goals set by the African continent for the first 10 years of Agenda 2063. There is the goal set by China for 2021 but also the United Nations' Agenda 2030.
The discussion focused on many issues, in particular China's intervention in terms of partnership on trade, investments, infrastructural development and so on. We had to figure out how this partnership could contribute to Africa's transformation. The issue of industrial transformation was discussed. We had to think on how to have both industrial infrastructure and agricultural development in Africa, and put a roadmap in place to achieve this through investment or cooperation.
There was an agreement on the fact that cooperation must be mutually beneficial, based on mutual respect and rooted in well-founded knowledge of Africa and China; that an effort should be made to get to know each other, know each other's culture and history, but also measure the importance of China's intervention in Africa, which runs into billions.
One of the most important stages of the Mombasa Symposium was that, even before the work began, the participants went to visit a site on which is going to be built a railway line to link Mombasa on the East Coast (Kenya's second largest city and one of East Africa's largest seaports) and Nairobi, on the one hand, but also Kyushu. Over the medium term, it could be extended to Rwanda, Congo, etc. It is a $3.5 billion project in its current phase. It overlooks a nature reserve. The work is well advanced, which gave real substance to the discussion during the Symposium. We've seen how it is going to transform the landscape. The project contributes to regional integration as it links Kenya to Uganda and probably Rwanda and Congo. It will also create 38,000 jobs. Special economic zones will be built as well as a multilevel industrial park.
One of the interesting aspects of this project is that the raw materials used for construction are largely drawn from the local and regional economy.
So, we can expect a new direction in the cooperation between Africa and China?
I think this shows a shift in orientation. In any case, it seems quite interesting, as this cooperation is precisely guided by the three shared goals. It is clear that in Agenda 2063, Africa is the main concern. In Agenda 2030, the focus is global and China has established connections therein. Therefore, there is an interest in cooperating, because this is the means by which we can achieve multiple goals that are in the interest of all countries. If there is something new, it is the sensitivity to issues that were raised in the beginning. Several years ago, one of the major issues that were repeatedly raised in the China-Africa negotiations was the lack of technology transfer. This is now taken into account, as we met a woman engineer trained in China who is working on the site. This shows that the Chinese are preparing people to repair trains in the event of breakdown, ensure the maintenance of roads as we go along. There are many people who will go to China to study during the period. Chinese people also come to train people locally.
The second thing is that there was a feeling that everything came from China. So this was a market outlet for them. They brought in their materials, sometimes even their own labour force. They did not hire local African personnel. They did not use the raw materials and this was not enabling for economic growth or performance. Now, we see that efforts are being made for greater utilisation of African labour force and African products. There is evident integration of these factors with the use of local raw materials for the construction of the railway in Kenya and with local labour at several levels.
There is also sensitivity to the environmental issue, because the railway will go through a nature reserve, and this is done so that developments are made in such a way that wildlife can cross without being handicapped in their movements. The train will pass above the landscape without damage to the environment, which also reflects some ecological sensitivity.
I think this approach is encouraging, as it shows that there is some awareness in relation to the first concerns of people following some China-managed projects. Now, there are still issues that require attention. Particular attention should be paid to local populations living in poverty. They can be hired to work on the site, but what is going to happen is that land will become more costly as it will be much sought after in this area. If we are not careful, speculators will invade the area and grab the land. Therefore, in addition to having the populations work on the sites, they must be included at all levels and their lives must change positively and much more sustainably.
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What will be the role of African think tanks in this new dynamic, in order to enable the continent to make the most of it?
It is to take part in the reflection and provide input in discussions on how these relations could be managed, so as to be truly beneficial to Africa and China. But also, we Africans have to be more confident in the fact that we have made large contributions to these relations. We don't only have raw materials to put on the table. When we are talking about common development, we should not see only what China brings, but also what Africa's input is, and its contribution to these efforts. I believe that Africa has much to contribute, and the think tanks can help bring this out. What are the assets? What does it put on the table that is beneficial to China, and would also help this continent achieve its own objectives?
The other thing is the monitoring, follow-up, evaluation and watchdog role. I am referring to the local populations who are likely to be the big losers in seeing their lands being the object of speculation. The think tanks should follow up these cases, assess what is being done, analyse discourses and projects that can be formulated at all levels, but also be able to make proposals, relative to possible alternatives, on the way forward. They will produce the data and evidence that will make it possible to improve the policies formulated or to readjust our aim where needed.
