African Union Member States have expressed concern at what they termed as the bashing of Chinese Cooperation with Africa from some sectors of the media and some western countries.
The AU Member States voiced this concern during a forum to review some of the resolutions of the 3rd Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that was themed a New Blue Print for a Win-win Cooperation and Common Development.
The African Countries want the African Union to come up with stringent measures to curb the negative perception that China is slowly colonizing the continent through its massive investment on the continent.
Responding to concerns, Adviser on Strategic Partnerships to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nadine Elhakim said China has brought a lot to the African continent than any other partners.
She said China took the risk of long-term investment in Africa when other partners thought doing so was risky.
Dr. Elhakim said China was the only partner that had developed a business model on infrastructure as it had a realisation that no meaningful development could be achieved in Africa with poor infrastructure.
She said Africa needs in excess of 100 billion dollars for infrastructure and that China has offered a share of these funds to improve infrastructure in Africa states.
Dr. Elhakim said the partnership between China and Africa will also see more trade between China and the continent.
And Head of Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the African Union, Ambassador Lui Yuxi said the China Africa partnership is different as it was built on mutual respect and assistance.
He said unlike other partners, China has resolved not to get involved in any African Country’s internal affairs but strictly limit its partnership to development.
Mr. Yuxi said China does not want to colonise any African State as has been insinuated but wants to mainly exchange its technological know how with African States in order to transform lives.
And Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Susan Sikaneta said Africa including Zambia holds the partnership with China in high esteem as it has proved that it was an all whether Friend to the African continent.
And Zimbabwe’s Deputy Ambassador to Ethiopia, Winipeg Moyo said the negative publicity and perception about the China Africa partnership is making the citizenry in many African states to criticise their governments over the cooperation between the two.
Speaking at the same function, President of the Board of Trustees of Centre for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation, CDRC President Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin said China’s policy of non-interference in African countries internal affairs and china’s preference to complement Africa’s development within the framework of win win cooperation and mutual benefits laid a foundation that could not be broken.
This is according to a statement issued by Inutu Mwanza, the First Secretary for Press and Tourism at the Zambia Embassy in Ethiopia.
