RECIPROCITY: TOWARDS A SHARED FUTURE AND DESTINY, A JUST AND

IDEAL SINO-AFRICA DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION MODEL.

By Shebora Samba Kamara

B. A Mass Communication, University of Makeni (Unimak)
Sierra Leone, West Africa.
M.A Public Diplomacy, School of International and Public Affairs, Jilin University.
Changchun, The People’s Republic of China.
Nov. 2018
Unlike relations with the west that are mostly underlined by certain ‘Africa Vulnerable
Preconditioning’ as some Pan-Africanists will brand it, Africa’s relationship with China has
lasted for a considerable number of decades and still flourishing basically with an
understanding that, Bilateral or Multilateral Relations could best thrive where there are mutual
efforts and gains. Both with a target of reaching a Shared Future. Sino-Africa relations do not
out rightly ascribe an underdog role to either party even though Africa is at the receiving end
when it has to do with aid connected aspects of the relationship, but beyond that, both Economic
and Diplomatic Relations have steadily been Mutual, at least with no bogus Preconditioning
that will subject Africa to unwarranted interference into its Domestic policies and Politics.
A Struggling but rising Africa no longer need ‘feel-good aid driven’ development or diplomatic
relations, that seeks to subdue the sovereignty of its states as characterised by a model the
continent endured for so long with Western Powers that invaded, scrambled and partitioned the
continent in various crown colonies and protectorates. As it moves towards achieving ‘Agenda
2063’, which is an all-encompassing framework adopted by The African Union, it is suggestive
by all indication that, Africa is no longer willing, in fact has never been willing to be victim of
hegemonic power struggle.
A just and ideal type of development cooperation model in the resource rich region is one that
have as its foundation, balanced cooperation with no strings attached, which is the model of
China-Africa cooperation in a form of “Reciprocity”. Affirming this, in his opinion piece on
which model of development that is ideal for Africa, 1Francis Onditi attempts to assess and
justify an embracement of a new progressive model of reciprocity which is Chinese-led as
opposed to the usual western-led aid handouts model. African Leaders are a lot more
comfortable with such type of relations.

1
Onditi, Francis. 2018. China’s reciprocal model or western aid handouts, which way for Africa? School of
International Relations and Diplomacy, Riara University. See CGTN. Beijing ICP No. 16065310-3
Such a relationship has been positive to a point that it drew admiration from not just Pan-
African Analysts but even Leaders from the developing world. one of Africa’s most
controversial leaders, Robert Mugabe, the former President of Zimbabwe endorsed such
relations and showered praises on Chinese President, Xi Jinping in December, 2015, when he
attended a FOCAC Summit Hosted in Africa, where he suggested China and its President is
doing what Colonial Masters failed to do, noting “here is a man representing a country once
called poor, a country which was never our colonizer. He is doing to us what we expected those
who colonized us yesterday to do…we will say he is a God sent,”2
Even though far apart, the two share a common history of oppression but in diverse ways,
Victims of Western Media propaganda, both with a spirit of rebuilding and rejuvenating
towards their dreams, Sino-Africa relations are increasingly improving guided with the
principle of a win-win cooperation encompassing “extensive consultation, joint contribution
and shared benefits” towards a common future/shared destiny.
Two memorable structures will always be resounding in the long Africa-China relationship
“China’s Membership in the UN Security Council” as Admore Mupoki Kambudzi wrote in an
article titled Africa and China’s Non-interference Policy: Towards peace Enhancement in
Africa, noted that “A step further in building bilateral relations came when China campaigned
to secure a permanent seat on the UN security Council, Africa and China have continued , on
an incremental basis, to unify their voices on global issues” 3, in return China facilitated the
Construction of a huge office and conference facility of The African Union in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia officially opened in January, 2012 in the AU’s 18th ordinary session is another binding
element to this relationship.
Sino-African relations especially economic related have lasted for a number of decades and are
still flourishing, but contemporary new relations are basically characterised by friendly
diplomatic, cultural and large-scale cooperative structural projects that seeks to improve
Africa’s deplorable infrastructure; roads, air and sea ports, railroads, bridges and dams, and
China earning resources for its growing consumption and an open market for its large
manufacturing industries. This relationship has been sending a signal of reciprocity by leaders
of the highest concentration of developing countries (Africa) and those of the largest
developing country in the world (The People’s Republic of China).
But is this a new path for ‘Neo-colonialism’ set to besiege once again the resource rich region
that suffered for decades in the hands of Western imperialists? Or is it another form of
‘organised hypocrisy’? or what will be the fate of this relationship if China emerges as a global
hegemony? These are key concerns that keeps surfacing, as certain critics keep referring to
Africa as the underdogs in such a relationship that is said to seek each other’s interest and
eventually becoming mutually beneficial.
In a bid to consolidate such relations, China and Africa co-establish the Forum on China-Africa
cooperation (FOCAC) which a CGTN report in September, 2018 before the year’s (FOCAC)
summit in Beijing, indicates that the forum has grown gradually from a series of small steps
mainly focused on aid, trade, debt relief and personal training to a compressive platform that

2
Mugabe, Robert. 2015. President of Zimbabwe, speaking in a FOCAC Summit hosted in South Africa.
3
Admore Mupoki Kambudzi. October 2012. Africa and China’s Non-interference Policy: Towards peace
Enhancement in Africa. Think Tanks Forum. Bishoftu, Ethiopia.
covers industrialization, agricultural modernization, finance, green development, people-to-
people and security. 4
Being one sort Africa Human Resource of such a relationship that have glanced a number of
Chinese cities as Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Changchun, Nanjing, or Guangzhou are such hubs
of the abundance that China possesses or developing that will eventually be beneficial not just
to Africa but the world at large, whether it is Rich cultural/historical heritage, whether it is
commerce/business, High tech, auto mobile, Educational advancements, or politics are such
components and values which China wishes to share with Africa and the world, and having
also taken a glance at African countries as Liberia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sierra Leone,
and have heard, read and keep following the development strides of very many others as
Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Nigeria, DRC, South Africa etc, I could affirm Africa is
still an embodiment of huge Human Resources, Natural and the purest reserves of mineral
resources which the world during conflict periods whether it is civil wars, Political instabilities,
Apartheid, disasters etc or slavery and colonial periods, harvested with impunity , but now with
such relations Africa is willing to justly release for reciprocal benefits.
In their article, China’s evolving policy towards peace and security in Africa: constructing a
new paradigm for peace building? Chris Alden and Dan Large noted “China’s expanding
interests in Africa, underscored by burgeoning two-way trade of over US$166.3bn in 2011 and
high level bilateral and multi-lateral diplomatic engagement…”.5 According to an internet
anonymous article, it is noted that China surpassed the US in 2009 to become the largest trading
partner of Africa, as China and over 40 African Countries have signed bilateral trade agreement
and as of 2014 China-Africa trade amounted to US$220bn. Contemporary global
circumstances, events and resulting outcomes calls for honest and strategic cooperation of all
stakeholders and key players in the international political arena, this has the enormous potential
to yield positive results of a stable and cooperative world order that will create a serene
atmosphere for states to thrive and reach their full potentials in all aspects of development. But
extending an olive branch in a path to achieving end results of imperial expansion, exerting
political influence on a sovereign state, neo-colonialism or unjust trade conditionality that will
render one party vulnerable will not create space for positive international relations to thrive.
With a set target, Chinese transformation and civilization has been characterized by self-stable
and peaceful rise and contemporarily pushing multilateralism in a bid to archive a Multipolar
global order. This path One of Africa’s leading Legal practitioners Kenya’s Prof. P.L.O
Lumumba noted in one of his resounding public Lectures in The University of Dar es salam in
Tanzania on the 15th of June, 2015 noting that China was known as a poor country few decades
ago but because they know what they want they are speedily growing and Africa should follow
up 6. But significantly there have been series of assurances of a Reciprocal and mutual
beneficial China-Africa relations. But as the imperfection theory have it “there is no perfection
in humanity” and the notion of no matter how useless one can be he/she must be useful
somehow, sometimes. This is evident in the western shaped and guided system of political

4
China Global Television Network(CGTN). September, 2018. A report of the FOCAC summit hosted in Beijing,
China.
5
Chris, Alden. Dan, Large. May 7, 2014. China’s evolving policy towards peace and security in Africa:
constructing a new paradigm for peace building? See also https://www.palgrave.com
6
Lumumba, Patrice .L.O. June, 2015. Public Lecture in The University of Dar es Salam, The United Republic of
Tanzania.
governance “Democracy” that many African countries have enjoyed since gaining
independence, encompassing respect for human rights, Freedoms, rule of law etc not
necessarily a guarantee for growth in anyways but the assurance that procedures must be
followed no matter the circumstances, as opposed to the Communist Socialist model of China,
which I refer to as “The Chinese version of Democracy” because it also has procedures to
follow but gives so much power to the communist party of China (CPC). But with clear
demarcations to the framework of the cooperation, someone can confidently predict there will
not be conflicting processes and circumstances.
As In his historic speech during the opening ceremony of the belt and Road forum for
International cooperation in Beijing on May 14,2017, The President of China Xi Jinping
reaffirmed that “We are ready to share practices of development with other countries, but we
have no intentions to interfere in other countries internal affairs, export our own social system
and model of development or impose our own will on others…” 7 this is at least reassuring of
the Reciprocity of bilateral and multilateral ties China is having with other countries or Regions
especially Africa without interfering with the internal dynamics of other countries.
A type of relationship approach that seeks to cooperate for mutually beneficial outcomes is
practically ideal for any state or regional block that wishes to establish links in all development
trajectories, with this any international relations scholar will presume if fully implemented,
without any hidden agenda that will eventually affirm the concerns of pessimists of suspecting
“Organised Hypocrisy” will necessarily and expectantly lead China and Africa to the dream
future of a shared destiny.
Considering the growing influence of The People’s Republic of China in diverse perspectives
but most importantly it steadily booming economy, becoming the second largest economy in
the world with an estimated nominal GDP of US$14.092 trillion, its Technological
advancements ,its huge cultural reserves etc are reassuring elements of proofs that in the not
too distant future China will become if not the most, but one of the most influential players in
an increasingly changing American-led world order.
This is one reason some Pan-African scholars and Western scholars are of the opinion that the
projection of China to Africa is not necessarily because the Chinese are nice, but rather a new
form of Neo-colonialism and imperialism to a long supressed region. As in other regions certain
leaders and key stakeholders have out rightly spoke down relations and Chinese aid as a form
of ‘debt diplomacy’. In his inauguration speech in November 17, 2018, the President of the
Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih claimed that “…China’s investment in the Maldives has
significantly increased the country’s debt and that its state treasury has been ransacked by
China”.8 If it is actually meant to be, the ideal development cooperation model Africa needs
with China or any other country or region is that of an equally beneficial, balanced and
reciprocal relationship. But the enduring questions remains “Is the projection of China to Africa
genuine? Is it a Neo-colonial project? Is it to make Africa a victim of Hegemonic power
struggle? And finally, what will happen to the relationship if The rising China becomes a
Ruling global power?

7
President Xi Jinping. May 14, 2017. Address during the opening ceremony of the belt and Road forum for
International cooperation, Beijing. China.
8
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. November, 17, 2018. In his Inauguration Speech as President of The Maldives.