PRESIDENT XI'S RENEW COMMITMENT TO FOSTER THE SINO-AFRICAN TIES

The visit of the commander in Chief of the world's second largest and fastest growing developing economy, highest trading partner and energy conservation & renewable energy, Industrial hub and core exporter of capital and investment amongst others symbolizes a renew commitment on the part of China injecting a new life in fostering and promoting the tight friendship and solidarity that has been in existence for a period of over 5 decades to reaffirm its commitment and support.

The traditional friendship between China and Africa started an age long ago in the early 50s that cut across social infrastructural ties, economy, bilateral trade, Foreign Direct Investment, culture, Security and Diplomatic Cooperation and the list goes on. This friendly bond was indicated by the 2014 International EVD response as China being the first committed International player in the fight to combat the Ebola virus disease(EVD) outbreak in West Africa that causes a devastating negative ramification on the Health sector, socio-economic and culture-traditional fabrics in the region especially the three (3) most affected Mano River Union (MRU) Countries- Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa presented the continent and China a better opportunity on exploring and deepening further the friendship. The corresponding immediate response from China was just too enough to serve a point to the mutual respect and brotherly ties that exist between the two. Not only have China poured in millions of dollars into the Ebola virus affected Countries, running into $120 million, but also sent in a team of medical personnel who braved it into our local communities, air lifting of two chartered planes, carrying a China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laboratory team and a China-Aided Mobile Laboratory that support towards the country’s fight against the Ebola all in a bid to help save humanity and sustain human livelihood.

China in her further thirst to its commitment to this married also donated the New African Union (AU) Conference and Office Complex Facility as a gift to Africa as the Headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which also symbolizes this long standing partnership between Africa and China. The Chinese people and the people of Africa have all along given sympathy and support to each other as in the case of their thirst and fight for national independence, and their relentless efforts towards nation-building and in attaining an efficient, effective and sustainable socio-economic development. Both regions claim to share a number of common historical values, which have also served to lay reasons for the evolving married between the two giants.

China’s strategic position in Africa’s development, especially in the last two decades has been extremely beneficial, especially in strengthening the Sino-Africa relationship and in giving it a new life. Africa’s quest to achieve stable and sustainable development and more investment in the fields of trade, infrastructure and a host of others has taken centre stage in the continents strategic thinking framework and in this vain, China has been a leading player in engaging Africa for trade and investments.

The China-Africa Trade and investment has rapidly expanded over the past three decades which has however displayed a remarkable amount of diversity across the African Continent over time with an increase of a total merchandise trade from $9 billion in 2000 to $166 billion in 2012, and over US$200 billion in 2014 with a forecast to reach the sum of US$400 billion by 2020 making China Africa’s largest trade partner ; Chinese FDI flows to Africa increased from just $200 million in 2000 to $2.9 billion in 2011 and amounted to the sum of US$30 billion in 2014 with plans to scale up to US$100 billion by 2020, turning China into the largest developing country investor in Africa; Chinese Aid initiatives in Africa in the form of economic or technical cooperation have also increased remarkably in the last decade. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the turnover on economic cooperation projects in Africa reached $29 billion in 2011 compared to $1.2 billion in 2000. China has been Africa’s biggest trade partner since 2009. Bilateral trade has grown from $11 billion in 2000 to nearly $210 billion in 2015” and such investments come in as essential input to the continent’s growth.

The majority of Africa's exports to China are in the form of oil, it also exports iron ore, metals, and other commodities, as well as a small amount of food and agricultural products. At the same time, China exports a range of machinery and transportation equipment, communications equipment, and electronics to African countries. In 2009, China surpassed the United States as Africa's largest trade partner.

Africa’s growth performance has improved significantly compared to the two decades of negative growth rates in 1980s and 1990s.The significant improvement in Africa’s growth status ultimately causes the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita to grow by an annual average of 2.4 % from 2000 to 2009, whilst the growth rate in 2010-2012 amounted to 1.8% (World Bank, 2014).

There are a number of development cooperation frame that China has been utilizing in her relation with Africa since 1956 namely; The Forum Of China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which was established and launched in 2000 purposely as a way of coping with the challenges brought by economic globalization and to promote common development initiatives which as today serves as a tri-annual joint exchange of ideas and a platform for co-operation between China and Africa used to promote and enhance bilateral trade and development; The China Africa Development Fund-(CADFund) which was established in 2006 as one of the eight measures announced by the Government of China, in line with the objectives of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

The Sino-Sierra Leone entered diplomatic relations since 1971 and historically, mutual benefit cooperation started from 1984 and it has been making serious progress since then. Practically, the diplomatic relations between the two countries are based on mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and peaceful co-existence
such as stations for popularizing rice-cultivation techniques, bridges, roads, National Stadium, sugar complex, office buildings, hydropower station and power transmission amongst others. At the country level, Sierra Leone has been making steady progress in moving along with some of these lessons as could be seen in her infrastructural development and in her desire to meet rising opportunities with corresponding challenges.
China, no doubt has continued to support Sierra Leone in terms of completing a number of projects such as; its quality response in the just concluded ebola plague that destabilize the health system, socio-economic, culture-traditional ethics in the three MRU affected Countries of which Sierra Leone is not an exception. As an addendum to the aforementioned , China also supported education, stations for popularizing rice-cultivation techniques, roads, bridges, the National Stadium, Hospitals, sugar complex, office buildings, hydropower station, power transmission and sub-station projects, civil housing and iron-ore mining . At present Chinese supported projects in Sierra Leone, include, but not limited to; the completed Regent-Grafton road; the million dollar new airport project on the mainland; Rice and robber project; Charlotte hydro dam project. On January of 2012, Sierra Leone signed a $1.2 billion land investment project with China Hainan Rubber Group for the development of a 35,000 hectare rubber plantation and the cultivation of rice on a 100,000 hectare farm and a loan for the purchase of 100 buses which as ease the transportation problems in sierra Leone though there are still challenges.
Shandong Steel a Chinese Company have taken over the ownership of the country’s iron ore mines which was previously operated by African Minerals.) Other Chinese investments in Sierra Leone include the China Friendship Teaching and Referral Hospital and the new Foreign Affairs Ministry building which were all commissioned in 2012.In knot shell China's bilateral relation with Sierra Leone cuts across trade, economic and technical cooperation, as well as exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, education and health.

China is a major economic world power with industrial capacity to provide economic help to Africa and as such the need for greater economic cooperation between the two. A free zone along the Makona River (meeting point for Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia) can be of outstanding relevance if we are to push for sub regional integration.

In an effort to discuss China’s presence in Africa today, one should always take into account the historical role played by Africa especially Sierra Leone in China’s strong position and stance in the UN Security Council.

China stands as the world’s second largest economy with Africa being the home of most of the developing countries. It should be stated, that the rapid economic trade and investment between Africa and China has to do with the availability of huge resources in Africa which are of great importance to the economic and infrastructural growth of China. However, it is also worth to state, that besides obtaining resources from Africa, China today continues to build bridges, seaports, power plans roads and other kind of infrastructure for Africa countries. There are more than 6,000 branches of Chinese related companies across Africa with some 2,000 investments in the continent.

Africa is ready for sustainable business and therefore calling on All Investors and trade partners to take advantage of the virgin market for a win-win cooperation.

Conclusively, despite the gains made by both giants in this relation in which Africa has been a key market of China, with regards raw materials, trade and investment. The current visit of President Xi in Africa following the visit of the Foreign Minister Wang Yi, reassure and spur the Continent for a continual need for both parties to work towards redoubling efforts to draw up a robust blueprint for promoting cooperation and laying a solid foundation for making new and greater progress in growing this bond. Albeit the fact China being the world’s largest developing nation with Africa being the home to richly endowed natural resources as in the case of Sierra Leone, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and South Sudan etc. cannot overemphasize the need to scale up efforts in ensuring a surge in infrastructural growth, human resource development and other socio-economic development. Albeit the gains made, Africa is still fraught with difficulties and challenges including inadequate infrastructure, lack of quality human capital, broken health system, lack of food sufficiency and liquidity shortages amongst others. For Africa to sustainably develop needs the full support of China to be able to transform their economies into industrialization, capital injection ,modern agricultural mechanize activities, public health systems and policies, improving surveillance, and prevention systems and revamping other dormant sectors in the economy to meet the desired output that will gear towards job creation, improve infrastructures, increase household/firm income, national income and access to funds that will ultimately grow the respective economies and create the platform for sustainable human livelihood and better standard of living for the African people.

WISHING PRESIDENT XI A SAFE AND SOUND JOURNEY TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA.

LONG LIVE AFRICA !!!

LONG LIVE THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA!!!