With the start of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2024 western political hyping and propaganda in Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, CBNC, The Economists and Voice of America have been purposefully hunted and haunted, terming the BRI a source of debt trap, metals & minerals off shoring and plundering of African natural resources. On the other hand, the FOCAC is the “magnetic” force of immense socio-economic integration, “stimulator” for sustained trans-regional connectivity and, notably, a “positive” energy to eradicate poverty, generate jobs and biggest unconditional support to African countries’ achieving their dreams of a “qualitative” life through the BRI and other meaningful mega projects.
The western new hybrid media war has now included nickel, cobalt, lithium and many precious minerals, labelling it plummeting agents of African prosperity by China which does not have any substance however, the western past history witnessed the massive exploitation of African resources for the sake of their lust, comfort, food security and personal glory indulged in severest violation of human rights, personal freedom and economic free choice.
Despite “perpetual” hoopla, the BRI successfully built numerous grand dams, whistling trains, bustling stadiums, magnificent parliament buildings and various factories which vividly reflects strategic importance of the FOCAC transforming their nature, ecology, resources, human capitals and, most importantly, brightening their prospects of socio-economic prosperity and economic stability and sustainability reducing chances of conspiracy theories and encircling of geopolitics. Obviously, the BRI revolutionized their states, societies and systems, agriculture sectors, infrastructure development, connectivity, industrial development and capacity building mitigating western chronic impediments of Chinese debt traps.
The Lekki Port in Nigeria and the Nairobi Expressway in Kenya have been completed over the past three years. Over the past 10 years, Chinese companies have signed more than US$700 billion worth of contracts for projects in Africa showing both parties’ commitments of achieving a prosperous future. Additionally, in Sudan, the China International Water and Electric Corporation (CWE) facilitated the construction of the Merowe Dam, Roseires Dam Heightening Project and Dam Complex of Upper Atbara Project, which have become “China-Arab friendly landmarks.” The Merowe Dam, standing 67 meters high and stretching about 9.7 kilometres long, is the world’s longest dam.
Even, most recently published white paper, titled “China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership of Equals” verified that the Chinese companies over the last quarter century have helped African countries build or upgrade more than 10,000 kilometres of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometres of highways, roughly 1,000 bridges, almost 100 ports and 66,000 kilometres of power transmission and distribution lines showing unstoppable journey of industrial up-gradation, world class infrastructure development, balanced economic growth and diversification of energy mix helping the African states and societies to live a decent and comfortable lives.
The BRI has also modernized the African railways and with the completion of projects, including the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway and the Benguela railway, the transportation efficiency between coastal and hinterland areas has been significantly improved. Moreover, the Kribi Deep Seaport in Cameroon can accommodate vessels that carry more than 10,000 tonnes of cargo, bringing development opportunities for landlocked countries.
In terms of modernization, digitalization and the ICT, the Chinese companies have helped build more than half of Africa’s wireless sites and high-speed mobile broadband networks, providing service for more than 900 million African people and signing of the 52 African countries and the African Union Commission with the BRI showing and striving to break their respective development bottlenecks.
It seems that under the flagship project of the BRI, China stands ready to continue striving forward together with Africa on the road of win-win cooperation and common development, seek greater synergy between the BRI and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union as well as African countries’ respective development strategies, thus future prospects of a high-quality China-Africa cooperation on the BRI is high and healthy.
It is good omen that the FOCAC has further enhanced China-Africa development to new heights, and the 2024 summit will definitely strengthen deeper cooperation as well as collaborative development among China, African countries and the Global South. Hopefully, it will enhance cooperation on agricultural technologies, advance the “green silk road” to support Africa in leveraging its rich green-energy resources to combat climate change, improve its health system through the “health silk road,” and expand its global market access via the “digital silk road.”
Moreover, knowledge sharing, prioritizing development and exploring people-centred paths based on mutual respect and learning will also be further consolidated building a fair and multipolar world to foster common development, support inclusive economic globalization and reform the international financial system to address development gaps. Definitely, it will reinforce high-quality and sustainable development, activate domestic growth through effective markets and proactive governance and address both traditional and non-traditional security threats to create a secure development environment.
Critical analysis of global power politics reveals that as African leaders converge in China, rhetoric surrounding artificial intelligence and competition over resources has intensified. Western propaganda portrays it as a battle between survival and sedition, development and destruction, cooperation and conspiracy, and prosperity and persecution. However, it is clear that China’s involvement in Africa is not for geopolitical manipulation or offloading industrial overcapacity. Instead, China is partnering with Africa to enhance traditional industries, introduce high-tech innovations, and build future-oriented green projects for mutual benefit.
The BRI has significantly boosted Africa’s infrastructure, with China constructing 66,000 km of power transmission lines and 150,000 km of communication networks across the continent. By June 2024, China had eliminated tariffs on 98% of products from 27 of Africa’s least developed countries, signed bilateral investment protection agreements with 34 African nations, and eliminated double taxation with 21 others. These efforts reflect the BRI’s role in strengthening trade relations, with China-Africa trade reaching a record $282.1 billion in 2023. China’s direct investment in Africa also exceeded $40 billion by the end of 2023, and aid projects have benefited over 10 million people in areas like food security, healthcare, and education.
Despite misleading claims from reports like Boston University’s 2024 analysis on BRI debt traps, regional economists have debunked this theory. China’s commitments to green transformation, industrialization, and renewable energy projects in Africa underscore a partnership of equals. Since 2000, China-Africa cooperation has reached new heights, with infrastructure projects transforming the continent. The discovery of a 2,492-carat diamond in Botswana, a BRI partner, highlights the intersection of global power politics. However, the FOCAC partnership is expected to counter Western narratives.
