Which way China-Africa relations?

A conference titled ‘African Independence and China: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow’, on 10 December 2011 at Tsinghua University, put together by the International Students’ Association for Global Affairs (ISAGA) and the Department of International Relations, was a breath of academic fresh air. Until now so much focus has been given to the rise of China in relation to its relationship with the US and the EU, but regions of equally significant relational importance, like Africa, are often neglected in international relations and comparative studies. In China, despite the massive economic involvement in Africa, for some of the mainstream theoreticians, Africa and its peoples, taken as a whole, is not perceived as an important region that merits study, despite news that point to the reality that this is a fast-growing region of the world.

As one of the international students who worked to make the conference possible, I openly and regrettably admit that my knowledge of African history and current political struggles was limited to what I heard in the news and what I occasionally read online. This is not to say that I learned everything about Africa in one day during a five-hour conference; that is simply impossible. But I can say that I was more deeply immersed in knowledge about Africa in the five-hour period than I have been in all my past five years of studying international relations. This point will be made clear in my overview and critique of the conference and its guest speakers.

As I write this summary I keep in mind a few things: First, that each person who attended the conference, and the important speakers that presented, play a crucial role in the development of international politics for the 21st century. Second, that each person who attended the conference took away something different. And third, conferences like this, a seemingly difficult and unlikely event to take place in China, can be achieved with great effort, determination, and mobilisation, especially by youth participation. One key point for many of us was that we now understand better the significance of African leaders such as Patrice Lumumba and his inspiration for Africans. So now I will move on to talk about the speakers.

SESSION I: YESTERDAY: AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE

The conference was officially opened by Professor Shi Zhiqin, Dean of the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University and official host of the event. He recounted for the audience the historical relations between Africa and China since the period of decolonisation. ‘For the people of China, the question of independence and self-determination is a key principle of our foreign policy. In the particular case of African independence, China has offered support by working both bilaterally and within multilateral institutions’, Prof Zhikin said.

Zhiqin went on to recount China’s opposition to the destabilisation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the moment of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, saying that, ‘At the dawn of the independence era in 1960, the people of the DRC wanted to embark on a path of self-development, but this was thwarted by the assassination of the first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, on January 17, 1961.’

Charles Madibo Wagidoso, the Ugandan ambassador, in his speech titled, ‘How China supports peace and security in Central Africa’, gave a brief historical overview of Africa. He spoke of how the evangelist brought the Bible and, thus, Western religion to Africa.

I want to stop here and critique these first two points: First off, I agree with Prof Campbell (chairperson of the session) that Wagidoso’s introduction, in which he claimed to be speaking not as an ambassador but in his personal capacity, was empty because in the end his speech could not be labelled anything other than a diplomatic speech. Second, when he talked about evangelists bringing the Bible to Africa, he spoke like a colonialist, because he did not mention that Africans already possessed a far greater spirituality before the arrival of the Europeans. I agree with many African storytellers and scholars that Africa had the most united spirituality until the idea of ‘religion’ was introduced, using the Bible as a weapon to create separation of spirituality into categories of religious hierarchies.

But let me return to the ambassador’s speech: The second part, I felt, was more genuine, as he spoke of the movement from colonialism to independence in Africa. He was also the first to say that, even with independence, Uganda (and Africa) remained violent as a result of external forces. This was a crucial point because it set the foundation that led to many important and related issues to be raised throughout the rest of the conference.

Ambassador Wagidoso ended his speech by talking about China’s relation with Africa. He argued that, ‘China has always supported Africa and that this position has not changed.’ He listed some of the challenges facing Africa today, including lifting people out of poverty, remaining truly independent and strengthening national unity. But today, and in the coming years, this relationship has become sensitive and reached a crucial deciding point. As an economically developing country, how will China procede with its relationship with Africa? As Wagidoso asked, ‘What are the real interests of the Chinese government and companies towards Africa?’ Are these interests humanitarian, military, economic, or ideological? Another point Wagidoso raised was, ‘With $150 billion in trade between China and Africa, China needs to be cautious.’ He ended his presentation by suggesting to the Chinese people that, as their country rises in power and influence, it should be a peacekeeper, work towards negotiation and training programs and fight against the use of external forces (imperialism), which are the root causes of conflict in Africa.

Li Anshan, a professor at the Department of International Relations at Peking University, in his presentation entitled, ‘Chinese Cooperation in African Independence,’ also began his speech with a historical context. He displayed pieces of African art that were stolen from Africa and transported to British museums. He then showed slides of the ruined Summer Palace in Beijing, destroyed by plunder and exploitation by western imperialism. His objective was to show a similarity between Chinese and African history. Then he focused his attention more towards the achievements of Africa in the past 50 years, pointing out that, despite problems of integration, human rights, border wars and nation-building, a great deal of progress has been made to lift parts of Africa out of poverty, yet much still is yet to be done. He is also one of the only speakers who acknowledge African women and their great achievements. Professor Li, like Ambassador Wagidoso, also warned against external influence as a disruption of nation building in Africa. Prof Li drew attention to the fact that there were groups in one region of China who are called terrorists but the Chinese government did not focus entirely on terrorism, but instead focused on economic development. Li called on Africans to make economic development the first priority.

He also said that it is important that Africans do not forget their history, or forget that they are united as Africans in a common history that can help them reunite in the 21st century. He then reconnected China and Africa relations, stating that China and Africa must work together to be more self-reliant and that social stability is very important for both societies. He ended by restating what he believes are some of the biggest challenges for Africa: Good leadership, curbing interference from outside, development and that Africa should not try to copy a Western or Chinese model of development; that Africa should develop in its own way, a new way, achieved and shared by all Africans.

SESSION II: CHINESE SUPPORT FOR AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE

‘The peace of Africa is the peace of Nigeria’, proclaimed Aminu Bashir Wali, the ambassador of Nigeria, in his speech titled, ‘Why Nigerian independence is central to African independence.’ Since its independence in October 1960, Nigeria has been involved in supporting the full liberation African countries, claimed the ambassador. During apartheid, Nigerians committed 10 percent of their income to the Africa National Congress, the main political party up against the National Party (the party which was responsible for racism and murders in South Africa). The ambassador called for economic emancipation to fight corruption from both internal and external forces, and added that Nigeria is at the forefront of peacekeeping in Africa.

He Wenping, Director of African Studies and a professor at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Science, in her speech titled, ‘China’s support for the independence of Africa in the 21st century,’ began by saying that China’s presence in Africa has been met with open arms. China has chosen a new path divergent from the one taken by the Western world. What China seeks is political and economic cooperation, not domination. She had a very positive attitude as she spoke of friendship and partnership between China and Africa.

Antoine Lokongo of Peking University African Graduate Students Association spoke on ‘The importance of the Lumumba legacy for the independence of Africa.’ He spoke about Belgian colonialism, the malicious assassination of Patrice Lumumba, atrocities in the Congo, and when he declared that, ‘They killed the first democratically elected leader and then they came and preached democracy!’ he excited shouts of agreement by members of the large audience. ‘If the Congo succeeds then all of Africa will,’ says Lokonmgo, echoing the words of Nigerian ambassador Wali. To him, and most Africans, Patrice Lumumba was a hero of the Congolese and African people, who, on many occasions, showed signs that he would have been a just and righteous leader and a democratic one rather than a dictator.

On the issue of China’s relation with Africa, Antoine made a plea to the Chinese that, ‘China needs to stop looking at Africa through Western lenses and Western media.’ He echoed the words of those before him: ‘Africans must not forget their history.’ Yet while the Jewish people remember the Holocaust and the US society remembers Pearl Harbour, Africans are counselled to forget history. Drawing attention to the fact that three days earlier the US society had major ceremonies to remember Pearl Harbour, Lokongo called on African and Chinese students to remember Patrice Lumumba. He did not accept that Africans should forget Patrice Lumumba, and it showed in his deep passion and extensive knowledge of the history of the Congo and the intricacy of corruption and exploitation of the people by leaders both inside and outside of Africa. Today, the world system needs more passionate youths like Lokongo; voices that will not listen when told to be quite or to forget.

Despite being the youngest guest speaker, he made his voice heard, so much so that at the end of his allotted time, the room filled with shouts for him to continue. He is an inspiration and proof that youth are the most powerful tools of the 21st century. If armed with the right knowledge and given the opportunity, the youth of the world will show unimaginable capacity for mobilisation and change in the 21st century. We saw this in Egypt.

SESSION III: HOW CAN WE SAFEGUARD AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE TODAY?

Sekou Conde, a lecturer at Munzu University of China, delivering a speech on ‘Africa and China staying independent.’ He emphasized the need to ‘transcend previously established modes of organisation, mainly rooted in economics,’ and for African, ‘under the umbrella of the African Union, to move towards pan-Africanism.’ He called on Africans to accept and remember their history, yet move on from their colonial heritage. He spoke of a non-alignment movement, which seeks a strengthening of national independence, preservation of world peace, socioeconomic development through the transformation and democratisation of international political and economic relationships and the development of the principles of coexistence.

SESSION IV: AFRICAN UNITY IN AN INTERDEPENDENT WORLD

Julius Ole Sunkuli, the ambassador of Kenya, in his speech titled, ‘Kenya’s role in the struggles for economic independence,’ talked about how, ‘Kenya’s problems began after the Cold War ended, when African leaders that supported the Western countries became dictators.’ But his speech mainly focused on more current circumstances, talking about Chinese infrastructure projects in Kenya and East Africa. He praised the way that China has chosen to invest in Africa, building roads and improving infrastructure in return for the natural resources of Africa. ‘The Chinese people are very good at speed,’ he says. Later on he remarked that, ‘China has never positioned itself as an aid giving country.’ Aid to Africa has been a topic of great debate and was mentioned earlier by Prof Li who mentioned Dambisa Moyo’s book ‘Dead Aid,’ which I read during my undergraduate studies on the question of how Western aid to Africa has hindered rather than helped African development. She argues in her book that the people of Africa have become reliant on aid, and lack the knowledge and motivation to help themselves and mobilise to rise out of poverty and oppression. The questions that still remain are: How and with what to replace African dependence on aid?

Horace Campbell, Visiting Professor a the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, in his presentation titled, ‘African Union and China in the 21st century: Reparations and Reconstruction towards a multi-polar world,’ gave a speech that opened many more doors for debate and discussion. He began by asking important foundational questions like: ‘How do we repair the planet earth and human beings?’ ‘Are Africans human beings?’ and, ‘Is Africa just another space for natural resources?’ He challenged the audience and human beings of the 21st century to ‘think beyond linearity and modernisation.’ Prof Campbell expressed his displeasure at the way the international system has been structured to cater to the idea of superpowers and hegemony. He called for an end to the period of superpowers and a retransformation (quantum leap) of the international system so that human beings can coexist with each other and the planet earth. He said that talks about China being a developed country are wrong; that China is still very much a developing country and has many overlapping similarities with Africa, which is also proving to be a region of great change. The professor called for new and ‘necessary forms of political education’ with ‘audacity.’

Drawing extensively from Samir Amin’s article on ‘Audacity and more audacity,’ Campbell reiterated Amin’s call for boldness in formulating political alternatives to the existing system. He urged the next generation of youths to work for a ‘humanist consensus’ rather than a Washington, Beijing, or any other kind of consensus, which only seek to divide and classify the world rather than unite people together as human beings. The solution, he suggested, is a ‘deconstruction of the imperialist system itself,’ in which democratic social struggle gives people the freedoms they deserve: ‘The freedom to move, settle and to education.’ He argued that the things Africa needs today are ‘peace, life, good health and a clean environment’ and that none of these things can be achieved under the modern capitalistic mode of development. His claim is that ‘peaceful rise’ is not possible and has never been possible because of exploitation and class struggles. The answer to solving these big problems is in the way that we use new technology to repair the planet in the 21st century.

Prof Campbell noted that the current research in new clean technologies holds the promise for escaping the destruction of the planet. He supported the physicists who were working hard for a ‘solar revolution’ to replace the use of oil and coal. Such a revolution holds possibilities for true democratisation and breaking the power of the big energy companies. This process of democratising access to energy could support a redistribution of wealth in Africa, cooperation between China and Africa, and supporting the rights of workers.

CONCLUSION

The conference, to say the least, was successful, not because it got people to think in a certain way, or to leave with one common opinion, but simply because it got people to think, and gave them a rare opportunity to listen to a number of different voices on an important and sensitive topic. Another crucially important aspect of the conference was that it would not have been possible without youth mobilisation and hard work. Paralleling on a small scale the liberation movement in Egypt, it is easy to see how cooperation, use of modern technology and mobilisation of the youth can bring together much needed voices and open up important questions for discussion. I was not surprised, but impressed, by the turn-out and the number of people who stayed for the whole conference. I truly feel that it was up to his point the most interesting, engaging, and informational seminar we have had so far.

The only frustrating aspect of the conference for me was that it left many questions unsatisfactorily answered. Due to the limited time for each speaker, I also felt that many of them could not fully explain their opinions on the issue of African independence and union and Sino-African relations. I am still conflicted about whether remembering history should or should not be an important factor in bringing about change. In my opinion there is not a right or wrong answer and it can be circumstantial. Sometimes focusing on the tragedies of history perpetuates hatred and keeps people from being able to forgive and move on. But I also agree with the arguments that African, Chinese, and any group of peoples who have suffered oppression and hatred should not forget the tragedies that came with colonisation and imperialism. Sometimes forgetting can set the foundation for history to be repeated.

One of the biggest questions that have yet to be answered has to do with the idea of ‘Socialism with Chinese characteristics.’ The question of what these ‘Chinese characteristics’ are is still unclear and will play a major role in the way China develops and its relationship to the rest of the world. Contemporary questions of African independence, union, and development are just beginning to surface under the recent context of China’s rise, but I agree with Professor Campbell that Africans will not accept Chinese imperialism.

The conference held on 10 December 2011 was a small window of how Africans are engaging China with the ‘audacity’ needed to ask the big questions that are often ignored: How can Africa and China cooperate to reach mutual understanding and to develop peacefully in order to change the world system in the 21st century and to avoid competition and conflict?

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* Katherine Richter is a Vietnamese graduate student at Tsinghua University.
* Please send comments to editor[at]pambazuka[dot]org or comment online at Pambazuka News.