Explainer: Why it is absurd to accuse China of practising 'neocolonialism' in Africa

By Xinhua writer Chen Wangqi

As cooperation between China and African countries deepens and their ties grow closer, some Western nations have been hyping up the notion of "neocolonialism" regarding China's increasing presence on the continent.

By accusing China of fostering African dependence through massive investments and prioritizing Chinese interests over local needs, the West is seeking to sow discord in China-Africa relations and undermine their cooperation, all in an effort to protect the vested interests of a few Western countries in Africa, experts have said.

This raises important questions: Is China's cooperation with Africa truly neocolonialism? How does the China-Africa relationship differ from the West's ties with Africa? And why is the West so committed to advancing the narrative of Chinese neocolonialism?

EMPOWERMENT INSTEAD OF EXPLOITATION

Improved transportation networks, better access to healthcare, increased employment opportunities ... the benefits of Chinese investments are tangible to many Africans in their daily lives, said Humphrey Moshi, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

"The infrastructure projects funded by Chinese loans and investments have been transformative," Moshi told Xinhua, noting that China has expanded access to opportunities and resources across Africa.

He pointed out that China-built roads, railways, and ports have slashed transportation costs and opened up isolated regions to national and international markets, helping Africa to trade itself out of poverty while facilitating industrialization.

These infrastructure projects have also created thousands of jobs for local communities, not only during construction but also in the long-term operation and maintenance of these facilities, Moshi said.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Center for China Studies in Nigeria, said that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation alone has trained hundreds of young local people in critical sectors such as railway engineering and other technical fields.

Africans are working as senior- and mid-level employees, he added, noting that these are very crucial additions in building capacity in Africa, a critical challenge for the continent.

Meanwhile, Chinese investments in constructing hospitals and schools, coupled with the provision of medical equipment and educational materials, have improved access to essential services and overall well-being, laying "the groundwork for sustainable economic and social progress," Moshi said.

However, at the same time, frequent U.S. sanctions on African countries cost poor workers in developing countries, usually women, their jobs when factories are shut down because they can no longer access the U.S. market, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) noted.

"Are those workers exploited? Unquestionably yes," the CSIS said.

Unlike the West, both China and Africa were victims of Western colonization and can thus easily understand each other's plight, said Adhere Cavince, a Kenya-based international relations scholar.

Onunaiju said China seeks to be an active partner amid global challenges due to its broad outlook on shared global prosperity. "The condition for neo-colonialism does not exist in China's political system."

CUSTOMIZATION INSTEAD OF CONTROL

"Western countries often prioritize the promotion of their values and systems" while China's aid is often tailored to the needs of the recipient countries, Moshi told Xinhua.

China's aid targets areas where Africa lags behind the rest of the world, including infrastructure development, trade facilitation, and investments aimed at long-term economic growth, he said.

Similarly, Cavince noted that China mainly helps to construct infrastructure and alleviate poverty through agriculture projects and energy grids.

As Africa's largest partner in the green energy transition, China provides African consumers with "affordable, durable and accessible" green products, without imposing conditions, he said.

In contrast, Western aid is often tied to political and economic conditions such as austerity measures, privatization, and "democracy promotion," which often cause civil strife, Cavince further said.

The CSIS pointed out that "in other words, the West is still trying to civilize the former colonies by getting them to do things we (Western countries) think are good for them."

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni also slammed in August 2023 that many of the loans and aid packages from Western countries "are either of no value addition to the country or are even anti-growth, all together" in a speech following the World Bank's decision to halt financing to Uganda.

Loans and aid packages from the West had brought a lot of distortion and stunted Uganda's growth as well as the entire continent, said Museveni, blaming Africa's "miserable" economic performance on the Western world, which looked at Africa only as producers of raw materials.

"The history of Western aid in Africa has played absolutely no role in lifting Africa (out of poverty)," said Onunaiju. "That is why ... we do not want Western aid anymore."

"We want more investment. We want more trade," he said.

SHIFTING PUBLIC OPINION

China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for a 15th consecutive year, with a trade volume of 282.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, a joint report by the Office of the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and other authorities revealed on Thursday.

As of the end of 2023, China's direct investment stock in Africa had exceeded 40 billion dollars, said an official with the NDRC, adding that China-Africa trade and investment is expected to maintain steady growth this year, demonstrating the strong vitality and resilience of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

China's growing engagement with Africa unsettles some nations in the West. They hence use narratives like "neocolonialism" and "debt trap" as geopolitical tools to smear China and weaken the effectiveness of its development partnerships with developing countries, Cavince said, adding that such hype is not in the interest of emerging economies.

China's contributions to infrastructure development, healthcare, and education in African countries are visible and tangible in the daily lives of local people. These contributions significantly boost the growing approval of China across the continent, noted Moshi.

In addition, China's approach to aid and investment, which emphasizes respect for the sovereignty of African nations, is appreciated by many Africans, he said.

On the contrary, the U.S. promotion of its ideology and strategic interests, and the lack of consistent engagement with or tangible benefits for Africa all led to the decline in African approval of the United States, the expert concluded.

 

The article was first published in Xinhua.

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