Nigerian scholar: Strengthening Global South unity through China-Africa collaboration

Common Fate of the Global South

Global South countries share the common fate fighting against poverty and striving for international standing. Most of the countries in this bloc are poor, victimized, denied their rights to contributing to global policy issues, lorded over by the Global North and don’t really have their voices. They also face the common challenge of walking the long road to emancipation through a unity of purpose, aggregating to forge a strong bond against oppression and win themselves a place through which they can be heard and their individual challenges become the challenges for all humanity in the comity of nations.

The Global South countries should stick together because as individual countries, they don’t have the capacity to make themselves heard. It is only through a platform and diplomatic integration that they can raise their voices a din beyond the dimming of a better future for themselves. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) serves as a prime example of such collaboration, fostering unity and progress through partnerships like China-Africa cooperation.

Strengthening China-Africa Bonds Through FOCAC

At the 2024 Beijing Summit of the FOCAC, “Beijing Declaration on Jointly Building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era” was made.

Look into the past, present and future, the relationship and friendship have evolved through some fundamental phases. Over time it has become a friendship where the people are closer together. Today, numerous social media skits showcase African people who live in China interacting with locals, speaking the language, embracing cultural practices, and creating a bond of stronger friendship. These interactions have fostered greater understanding and trust between the two peoples.

The economic aspect of the relationship has also evolved from just trade to aiding manufacturing in Africa and infrastructure provision, as Nigeria is China’s largest African infrastructure contracting market.

Cultural exchanges are also better and improved. At the human capital development aspect, the relationship started with Chinese institutions and governments training young Africans and then ordering them back to their countries. But today, Chinese companies and employers engage African students after graduation. This shift reflects a stronger mutual understanding and appreciation of their abilities.

Chinese Modernization and Its Implications for Africa

At the 19th G20 Summit, President Xi emphasized again that China will always be a member of the Global South, and will go hand in hand with fellow developing countries toward modernization.

Chinese modernization has the feature of advancing humanity together in growth. The modernization model believes in and works on the mandate of shared benefits. That means China sows modernization in countries, and reaps the good will that brings.

Chinese modernization priorities human beings above anything else; it doesn’t believe in exploitation, use of force and annexation or the dropping of bombs in power invasions, or holding other people with its enormous powers and resources.

It can inspire African countries by making them know that China’s rise through commitment and good leadership is also possible in African countries. It can also inspire Africa to know that inter-country relationship is not just about plundering of the weak and robbing them with honey-coated words of deceit.

Achievements of China-Africa Collaboration

China-Africa has achieved a lot of landmarks in the past 24 years. The sincere commitments of the FOCAC are enough to move the Global South in the direction of progress and emancipation.

In the book I wrote - The Chinese in the Nigerian Economy, I gave details of the depth of the contributions of Chinese investors and government agencies in aiding the economic growth of Nigeria.

There are up to four major functional China-Nigeria industrial free trade zones that have over 150 factories owned by Chinese investors and Nigerian partners. In 2018, Chinese investments in Nigeria employed at least 200,000 local workers.

Every year, the CCECC, a Chinese construction company, sends an average of 25 scholars from Nigeria to Chinese universities to train them to become experts. They all return home, most times into the employment of the company and contribute in deepening Nigeria’s human resource base. CCECC has completed over 779km of railway in various projects. They have added verve to the country’s transportation sector and economic growth.

Chinese contracting companies have also built some major power and energy plants. Those already in use have added so much value to the energy sector, employed hands, and also helped to curb poverty. Some of them are still under construction.

They are major stakeholders in Nigeria’s fin-tech, digital economy, and ICT backbone through companies such as Huawei and ZTE.

China-Africa friendship allows me the opportunity to study in two Chinese universities - Renmin University in Beijing and Guizhou University in Guiyang. There are hundreds of Nigerian journalists that have had the privilege of knowing China closely and adding to the creation of a better understanding between the two worlds.

I am sure that the future will bring more growth and mutual understanding to the two sides. With what FOCAC has achieved in the past 24 years in every aspect of cooperation, the years ahead hold greater dreams and goals.

Contributed by Ikenna Emewu, Editor In Chief of Africa China Economy