Initiating “a golden era” for China-Kenya Cooperation
Liu Xianfa, ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Kenya.
In today's world, it has become universally acknowledged that development is the first priority. But how do we promote and realize development? Chinese President Xi Jinping has long underscored solid work for development, as showcased by his remarks that “making empty talk is harmful to the nation, while doing practical work can help it thrive.” Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 55 years ago, China and Kenya have cooperated to complete more than 100 major projects including the standard gauge railway (SGR) and the Moi International Sports Centre. Currently, China is Kenya’s largest trading partner, investor and contractor. The China-Kenya cooperation brings along tangible benefits to the people of both countries, and promotes the economic and social development of Kenya. This is a result of the solid work we have accomplished hand in hand.
The Mombasa-Nairobi SGR is the best known among the projects between our two countries. Financed and constructed by Chinese side, the SGR project has created 46,000 local jobs, cut the transportation cost between Mombasa and Nairobi by 40 percent, and increased Kenya’s GDP by 1.5 percent. Chinese engineers worked 16 hours per day, slept on the construction sites in night, and some even broke down from the constant work and sacrificed their lives because of lacking timely treatment.
With the joint efforts of both sides, the SGR was completed in two and a half years, taking half as long as expected and officially launched on the Madaraka Day last year. So far, the SGR has transported more than a million passengers and 300,000 metric tons of goods. Committed to intensive development, China and Kenya have worked hard to make sure that the development of the railway goes hand in hand with growth of industrial parks and special economic zones so that infrastructure development and industrial development can reinforce each other.
Vocational education training projects are most conducive for youth entrepreneurship in Kenya. China provides funding, equipment and teachers, and cooperates with 134 institutions and universities, such as the Kenya University of Science and Technology, to train nearly 30,000 mechanical engineers, electricians and automation professionals each year, who are in short supply in Kenya. Besides, China strongly supports the Kenya National Youth Service, which has helped more than 10,000 young people master engineering skills and gain employment. China has helped Kenya promote industrialization by technology transfer and human resources development, thus enhancing its capability to achieve self-driven and independent development.
The investment projects made by Chinese enterprises enjoy the brightest future. As China has listed Kenya as a pilot and demonstration country of China-Africa industrial capacity cooperation, Chinese enterprises have been actively responsive to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s “Big Four” Agenda. Chinese enterprises invested $100 million to establish the Industrialization Research, Development and Production Base, $80 million to construct Twyford — the biggest ceramics company in East Africa, and $480 million to build the Nairobi Global Trade Centre. Moreover, Chinese enterprises made $2 billion investment in the building of industrial park in Eldoret and are investing billions of dollars to build an industrial park and an economic zone in Mombasa.
These efforts will greatly enhance Kenya’s capacity for self-sustainable development, speed up Kenya’s industrialization process and create a large number of job opportunities. In this process, China and Kenya have been exploring new patterns of investment cooperation, public-private partnership for instance, which have effectively addressed the problem of financial shortage without increasing Kenya’s debt burden.
In its assistance to and cooperation with Kenya, China has always committed to not interfering in Kenya’s internal affairs, attaching no political strings to its assistance, not forcing Kenyans to do what they are unwilling to do and not making empty promises. Kenya is a great nation, and her people are great people. Kenya needs no foreign intervention or preaching. Chinese President Xi Jinping often said, “You cannot know whether the shoes fit or not until you wear them.” It is Kenya and the people of Kenya who know the best and have the best position to say how China-Kenya cooperation has contributed to the development of the nation and the well-being of her people.
China-Kenya cooperation is inclusive. We welcome the concerted efforts of the international community to promote development and revitalization of Kenya. At the same time, we hope relevant countries view China-Kenya and China-Africa cooperation in a fair and objective way, avoid empty talk and contribute more to the development of Kenya and other African countries.
Now the China-Kenya relations are at a new historical starting point. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era and President Uhuru Kenyatta sworn in for a new term in office. We are willing to make joint efforts with Kenya to strengthen the strategic connection of “Belt and Road Initiative” with Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the “Big Four” Agenda. We will roll up our sleeves to work together with the brotherly Kenyan people, to achieve Kenya’s rapid and high-quality development, initiate “a golden era” for China-Kenya cooperation as well as create more benefits for our peoples.
American Smearing China in Africa Is Obviously Choosing the Wrong Place and Wrong Topic Against a Wrong Target
Lin Songtian, ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to South Africa.
China has become more and more popular in Africa not by giving out lectures, teaching people what to do and what not to do, but by taking a series of concrete actions to sincerely and earnestly help Africa realize durable peace and self-sustainable development. Therefore, the American smearing China in Africa has obviously chosen the wrong place, wrong topic against a wrong target. That is why the Africans have stepped up to tell former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who paid his maiden trip to Africa recently that what he was talking about China is wrong and not true.
It is true that China’s influence in Africa is growing every day. It is our strong belief that if you do good to friends and other people, you will get better from them.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed us that, in conducting China's relations with Africa, we should adhere to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith, and uphold the values of friendship, justice and shared interests. The essence of this instruction is to closely combine China's development and Africa's realization of self-sustainable development, so as to achieve win-win cooperation for common development.
As a result, apart from continued deepening friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) mechanism, China has also committed itself to connecting Africa to the Belt and Road Initiative to promote policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bond.
Through our joint efforts, China has for nine consecutive years remained Africa’s largest trading partner, one of the most important investor, and source of tourists. Over 6,500 km of railways, over 6,000 km of highways, 200 plus schools, over 80 sports stadiums, and tens of government office buildings, parliamentary buildings and African Union Building, and many airports and seaports in Africa have been loaned and built by China. And because of China’s contribution, the modernization of telecommunication has benefited the people on the continent.
Is China’s influence in Africa good or bad? Only the African people can have the right to answer. The African people know too well that if they are not independent economically, they will never be independent politically. Only by realizing self-sustainable development can Africa truly get rid of external interference and say NO loudly to those finger-pointing people.
Some people on the one hand express their worry about China’s influence in Africa. On the other hand, they do not want to contribute enough capital to help Africa build infrastructure, still less to encourage its businesses to invest in Africa. In essence, what they really want is to keep Africa as it was, poor and divided, to be always controlled by others. What they worry about is Africa's realization of economic independence with China’s support. What they worry about is a strong Africa that can no longer be ordered around politically.
The Americans are making an excuse for themselves by accusing China of creating a debt crisis in Africa.
It’s our strong belief that with its rich natural and human resources, Africa boasts huge development potential. Africa is a promising continent and is a new driving force to promote future world economic development.
It is known to all that, to realize self-sustainable development, African countries are facing three bottleneck issues, namely inadequate infrastructure, lack of professional and skilled personnel, and shortage of financial resources. To break those bottlenecks, Africa needs huge investment and financial support from the international community. Whoever can and will help Africa break those bottlenecks is Africa’s true and reliable partner.
With an aim to help Africa break those three development bottleneck issues to accelerate industrialization and agricultural modernization, during the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit in December 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced China-Africa Ten Major Cooperation Plans with a commitment of $60 billion of financial support in the next three years. That is the good example by China for the international community. Up to now, the total direct investment and financing from China to Africa has already exceeded $100 billion.
The Chinese government encourages its businesses to make investment in Africa. We support the Chinese financial institutions to provide financial support to Africa for infrastructure development, industrial parks, special economic zones, and production projects in accordance with the market principle and concept of intensive development. The concept of intensive development means to integrate infrastructure and industry planning and development in tandem.
Railways, roads and other infrastructures are built to promote and drive industry development in the surrounding areas, which in return could sustain the infrastructure, so as to ensure the profitability of the projects and accordingly to ensure the debt repayment capacity of the recipient countries.
As the major investor in the continent, China of course follows closely Africa’s possible debt risks. And we also care about the safety of our investment. That is why we have been very serious with the feasibility study of each and every investment and financing project, making sure that the project is profitable, sustainable, and that the recipient is able to service debt. Giving out free loans without thinking about debt repayment and reasonable profits, any financial institutions in the world will go bankrupt. China is no exception.
Africa needs huge amounts of capital to develop its infrastructure to realize self-sustainable development. China is not a superpower, and cannot take on everything. The American friends are concerned that China is creating a debt crisis in Africa. They say so just to find an excuse for themselves not making financial support to Africa. But fundamentally, what they are worried about is Africa realizing economic independence with China’s support. What they are worried about is to lose control over Africa. It is our sincere hope that the United States as a responsible superpower, could follow China to do the same in Africa and the world, to make its due contribution to truly support Africa’s durable peace and self-sustainable development.
Some people claim that large amounts of Chinese development assistance in Africa are aiding corruption in African governments. This is an attempt to use the issue of corruption, a public enemy of all countries, to undermine China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation.
This is my fourth posting to Africa. On behalf of my government, I have signed many agreements on bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation projects with African leaders. I can speak loudly and responsibly that all development assistance from the Chinese government to Africa goes directly to project contractors, to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness of the capital. Both I as the Chinese Ambassador and any African government officials cannot see or touch even a cent of those fund.
That is why China is able to deliver large numbers of tangible, visible and beneficial projects to the African people with less amount of development assistance to Africa than the developed countries. Today, the infrastructures financed and built by China can be found everywhere across the African continent, including highways, railways, airports, seaports, power plant, hospitals, schools, office buildings, parliamentary buildings, and stadiums.
We are very proud that Chinese development assistance to Africa has not only contributed to Africa’s economic and social development, but also brought convenience to the American friends to visit or invest in Africa.
Some governments have huge budget from their own parliaments in the name of development assistance to Africa. But regrettably, it is very hard for the African people to see, still less to enjoy the outcomes of their assistance as infrastructure projects such as highways, railways, schools, parliamentary, office buildings or stadiums. The reality shows that some countries keep making empty promise, but no delivery. Those governments have taken the taxpayers' money far exceeding the amount of China’s, but have no visible projects in Africa.
Poverty is the common enemy of the African people and the peoples of the world. We strongly believe that the right to work, the right to housing, the right to food, the right to hospital, and the right to school are the basic human rights for all peoples. Therefore, to grow economy to create jobs is the master key to address poverty and human rights.
But jobs only come from investors for production and visitors as tourists. I’m very proud that after over four decades of reform and opening up, China has become the second largest economy in the world and Africa’s major investor and source of tourists. More and more Chinese companies are setting up their businesses in Africa, bringing with them over $100 billion of investment, transferring their skills and know-how to the locals, creating millions of local jobs, and improving the basic human rights of tens of thousands of households in Africa.
To support Africa to realize durable peace and self-sustainable development serves the common interests of Africa, China and the peoples of the world. It is also the common goal and responsibility of the international community. China is willing to work closely with all countries to uphold the principle of planning together, building together and sharing together, to jointly promote a community of shared future for mankind as proposed by President Xi Jinping, so as to empower the African people to promote development and share common prosperity with the peoples of the world.
It is our sincere hope that certain superpower could show an updated and broad mind and take concrete steps to honor its commitment and fulfill its due responsibilities. Don’t forget, what Africa needs is capital and actions, not lectures. Don’t forget, Africa is mature and wise enough to understand who is the true and reliable partner for their self-sustainable development.
China and Africa Industrial Capacity Mode of Cooperation
Sikhumbuzo Zondi, research assistant at the Institute for Global Dialogue associated with the University of South Africa.
In attempts to strengthen Africa’s economic development, Beijing’s China Foreign Exchange Reserves in association with the Export-Import Bank of China initiated the China-Africa Industrial Capacity Cooperation Fund as a mid- to long-term development investment fund. The formation of this fund was announced at the 2015 FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The fund was designed to provide assistance in the construction of Africa’s high-speed rail network, highway networks and regional aviation and industrialization. The main beneficiaries of the fund are sectors such as manufacturing, new technology, agriculture, energy and mineral industries, infrastructure development projects and financial cooperatives.
China-Africa industrial capacity cooperation has become a maxim as more and more African countries are zealous to espouse the epoch-making possibilities that are brought about by China’s economic transformation and modernization. In this sense, African countries have become the center of Chinese overseas investments in order to stimulate their own industrialization strategies.
It appears there are shared necessities and mutual benefits between Africa and China in carrying out cooperation and a rare moment has appeared that can help Africa and China achieve win-win cooperation for mutual development. This strategy has the propensity of making the world more balanced, prosperous and stable, given its full potential of benefiting the people of Africa, China and the world at large through improved international trade and investment.
Furthermore, cooperation between Africa and China provides a vital opportunity for the African continent to break the cycle of aid dependency from Western donor countries and achieve sustainable development that is in line with their needs and conditions.
When African states started gaining political independence from European imperialists in the 1950s and 1960s, they sought to enhance economic development through foreign development aid that was championed by Western institutions and governments.
Nevertheless, by so doing most Western aid donors have been spoon-feeding African states instead of teaching them the technical expertise of socioeconomic development. Hence, most of the African continent remains destitute and underdeveloped, as most of this hard cash in the form of aid and loans has been feeding the stomachs of the continent’s elites at the expense of the poor and vulnerable masses.
As such, Africa and China are now working together to amalgamate China’s competitive industries with their high-quality industrial capacity to enhance Africa’s industrialization and economic diversification. This mechanism takes into consideration that it is unfeasible to realize real political independence in the absence of economic independence.
Having said that, China has showed willingness to prioritize industrial partnering and industrial capacity cooperation with African countries in order to improve the continent’s employment and skills. In this regard, China has committed to expedite Chinese private investments, provide technical assistance and facilitate local skills development programs.
Hitherto, China has completed a $250 million Hawassa Industrial Park project in Ethiopia, which has since attracted leading textile and garment companies, some of whom have begun exporting to the global market.
Moreover, China has sought to ameliorate Africa’s agricultural capacity and productivity mainly by means of experience-sharing, skills and technical transfer, promotion of Chinese investments in African agriculture and creating new exchange frameworks and programs to bring Chinese experts into the African continent. China’s involvement in Africa’s agricultural sector aims at assisting African farmers competing well in the highly competitive global agricultural industry.
Additionally, the China-Africa industrial capacity cooperation mechanism is an attempt by both parties to assist African countries in the areas of taxation and foreign exchanges, achievement of technical expertise and mutual development. Both parties agree that underdeveloped infrastructure hinders the continent’s prosperity, therefore China, as the world’s second-biggest economy, has committed to take concrete measures to stimulate Chinese business and financial institutions into expanding investments in the continent through a number of schemes such as public-private partnerships and build-operate transfer.
These programs aim for African flagship projects such as infrastructure development in areas including railroads, regional aviation, seaports and harbors, water and electricity supplies, information and communication and other infrastructure projects that are essential in facilitating infrastructure connectivity and economic integration in Africa. All in all, the mechanism seeks to provide much needed technical know-how to African countries in order for them to eliminate the challenges that hinder their prospects of industrialization and development, such as poor infrastructure and skills shortages.
Going forward one might infer that industrialization is an inexorable path for Africa to achieve emancipation and inclusive development, and China's assistance to Africa has no terms and conditions attached to it, except the ultimate goal of improving people's livelihoods and capacity building. In addition, China-Africa cooperation will in future modernize Africa’s industrial sector, which is the mainstay of economic growth and job creation.
Chinese investments in Africa’s manufacturing sector will enable the continent to realize rapid economic growth and create new business opportunities and local partnerships, which will see Africa rise from the ashes of poverty and underdevelopment.
Finally, cooperation will put Africa in a commanding position in terms of world trade and industrial expansion given the partnerships’ huge market size at its disposal.
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American Smearing China in Africa Is Obviously Choosing the Wrong Place and Wrong Topic Against a Wrong Target
Lin Songtian, ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to South Africa.
China has become more and more popular in Africa not by giving out lectures, teaching people what to do and what not to do, but by taking a series of concrete actions to sincerely and earnestly help Africa realize durable peace and self-sustainable development. Therefore, the American smearing China in Africa has obviously chosen the wrong place, wrong topic against a wrong target. That is why the Africans have stepped up to tell former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who paid his maiden trip to Africa recently that what he was talking about China is wrong and not true.
It is true that China’s influence in Africa is growing every day. It is our strong belief that if you do good to friends and other people, you will get better from them.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed us that, in conducting China's relations with Africa, we should adhere to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith, and uphold the values of friendship, justice and shared interests. The essence of this instruction is to closely combine China's development and Africa's realization of self-sustainable development, so as to achieve win-win cooperation for common development.
As a result, apart from continued deepening friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) mechanism, China has also committed itself to connecting Africa to the Belt and Road Initiative to promote policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bond.
Through our joint efforts, China has for nine consecutive years remained Africa’s largest trading partner, one of the most important investor, and source of tourists. Over 6,500 km of railways, over 6,000 km of highways, 200 plus schools, over 80 sports stadiums, and tens of government office buildings, parliamentary buildings and African Union Building, and many airports and seaports in Africa have been loaned and built by China. And because of China’s contribution, the modernization of telecommunication has benefited the people on the continent.
Is China’s influence in Africa good or bad? Only the African people can have the right to answer. The African people know too well that if they are not independent economically, they will never be independent politically. Only by realizing self-sustainable development can Africa truly get rid of external interference and say NO loudly to those finger-pointing people.
Some people on the one hand express their worry about China’s influence in Africa. On the other hand, they do not want to contribute enough capital to help Africa build infrastructure, still less to encourage its businesses to invest in Africa. In essence, what they really want is to keep Africa as it was, poor and divided, to be always controlled by others. What they worry about is Africa's realization of economic independence with China’s support. What they worry about is a strong Africa that can no longer be ordered around politically.
The Americans are making an excuse for themselves by accusing China of creating a debt crisis in Africa.
It’s our strong belief that with its rich natural and human resources, Africa boasts huge development potential. Africa is a promising continent and is a new driving force to promote future world economic development.
It is known to all that, to realize self-sustainable development, African countries are facing three bottleneck issues, namely inadequate infrastructure, lack of professional and skilled personnel, and shortage of financial resources. To break those bottlenecks, Africa needs huge investment and financial support from the international community. Whoever can and will help Africa break those bottlenecks is Africa’s true and reliable partner.
With an aim to help Africa break those three development bottleneck issues to accelerate industrialization and agricultural modernization, during the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit in December 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced China-Africa Ten Major Cooperation Plans with a commitment of $60 billion of financial support in the next three years. That is the good example by China for the international community. Up to now, the total direct investment and financing from China to Africa has already exceeded $100 billion.
The Chinese government encourages its businesses to make investment in Africa. We support the Chinese financial institutions to provide financial support to Africa for infrastructure development, industrial parks, special economic zones, and production projects in accordance with the market principle and concept of intensive development. The concept of intensive development means to integrate infrastructure and industry planning and development in tandem.
Railways, roads and other infrastructures are built to promote and drive industry development in the surrounding areas, which in return could sustain the infrastructure, so as to ensure the profitability of the projects and accordingly to ensure the debt repayment capacity of the recipient countries.
As the major investor in the continent, China of course follows closely Africa’s possible debt risks. And we also care about the safety of our investment. That is why we have been very serious with the feasibility study of each and every investment and financing project, making sure that the project is profitable, sustainable, and that the recipient is able to service debt. Giving out free loans without thinking about debt repayment and reasonable profits, any financial institutions in the world will go bankrupt. China is no exception.
Africa needs huge amounts of capital to develop its infrastructure to realize self-sustainable development. China is not a superpower, and cannot take on everything. The American friends are concerned that China is creating a debt crisis in Africa. They say so just to find an excuse for themselves not making financial support to Africa. But fundamentally, what they are worried about is Africa realizing economic independence with China’s support. What they are worried about is to lose control over Africa. It is our sincere hope that the United States as a responsible superpower, could follow China to do the same in Africa and the world, to make its due contribution to truly support Africa’s durable peace and self-sustainable development.
Some people claim that large amounts of Chinese development assistance in Africa are aiding corruption in African governments. This is an attempt to use the issue of corruption, a public enemy of all countries, to undermine China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation.
This is my fourth posting to Africa. On behalf of my government, I have signed many agreements on bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation projects with African leaders. I can speak loudly and responsibly that all development assistance from the Chinese government to Africa goes directly to project contractors, to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness of the capital. Both I as the Chinese Ambassador and any African government officials cannot see or touch even a cent of those fund.
That is why China is able to deliver large numbers of tangible, visible and beneficial projects to the African people with less amount of development assistance to Africa than the developed countries. Today, the infrastructures financed and built by China can be found everywhere across the African continent, including highways, railways, airports, seaports, power plant, hospitals, schools, office buildings, parliamentary buildings, and stadiums.
We are very proud that Chinese development assistance to Africa has not only contributed to Africa’s economic and social development, but also brought convenience to the American friends to visit or invest in Africa.
Some governments have huge budget from their own parliaments in the name of development assistance to Africa. But regrettably, it is very hard for the African people to see, still less to enjoy the outcomes of their assistance as infrastructure projects such as highways, railways, schools, parliamentary, office buildings or stadiums. The reality shows that some countries keep making empty promise, but no delivery. Those governments have taken the taxpayers' money far exceeding the amount of China’s, but have no visible projects in Africa.
Poverty is the common enemy of the African people and the peoples of the world. We strongly believe that the right to work, the right to housing, the right to food, the right to hospital, and the right to school are the basic human rights for all peoples. Therefore, to grow economy to create jobs is the master key to address poverty and human rights.
But jobs only come from investors for production and visitors as tourists. I’m very proud that after over four decades of reform and opening up, China has become the second largest economy in the world and Africa’s major investor and source of tourists. More and more Chinese companies are setting up their businesses in Africa, bringing with them over $100 billion of investment, transferring their skills and know-how to the locals, creating millions of local jobs, and improving the basic human rights of tens of thousands of households in Africa.
To support Africa to realize durable peace and self-sustainable development serves the common interests of Africa, China and the peoples of the world. It is also the common goal and responsibility of the international community. China is willing to work closely with all countries to uphold the principle of planning together, building together and sharing together, to jointly promote a community of shared future for mankind as proposed by President Xi Jinping, so as to empower the African people to promote development and share common prosperity with the peoples of the world.
It is our sincere hope that certain superpower could show an updated and broad mind and take concrete steps to honor its commitment and fulfill its due responsibilities. Don’t forget, what Africa needs is capital and actions, not lectures. Don’t forget, Africa is mature and wise enough to understand who is the true and reliable partner for their self-sustainable development.
