Africa-China relationship is mutually beneficial: S. African academics

JOHANNESBURG - The relationship between Africa and China is mutually beneficial and China has great experiences to share with Africa in areas such as poverty alleviation and fight against corruption, according to South African academics.

The co-director of the University of Johannesburg Confucius Institute, David Monyae made the remarks during a speech on Tuesday about China-Africa relations at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"The Africa-China partnership is far from a zero-sum relationship, as both parties have gained from it. It is important to have relations with China, which accounts for 15 percent of the global economy and 37 percent of all developing markets," said Monyae.

He said that China wants to alleviate poverty and create a new world order which is not dominated by one single country.

"Don't listen to the debt trap noise. The Chinese debt is less than most Western countries." said Monyae.

He said Africa's future lies in the strategic relations with China. According to him, China has contributed to Africa's infrastructure development, citing the notable example of Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi railway line in Kenya.

"Let us not point fingers on China but at ourselves for some problems. Our leaders should negotiate with China to advance our interest. Our leaders should raise issues with China in a fair and factual way and not in a propaganda one." he said.

China has also provided scholarships for African students, and Monyae challenged other countries to compete with China in providing scholarships and critical job skills to Africans.

Monyae further called on Africa to learn from China's war against corruption and its experience in alleviating poverty, saying that African government officials and party leaders go to China for trainings, and they should learn how to lock up those people involved in corruption.

Bob Wekesa, journalism lecturer with University of Witwatersrand, also said that China's partnership is crucial for Africa to achieve the sustainable development goals.