China, Africa can tackle challenges from growth in ties

HANGZHOU - China and Africa should work together to tackle new challenges and ensure their strategic partnership based on equality and mutual benefits, diplomats and scholars said at a forum on Thursday.

"The nature of the relationship will remain unchanged, but as time moves on, there are numerous problems we need to address," Liu Guijin, special representative of the Chinese government on African Affairs, said at the first meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum.

The forum was held under the auspices of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), an inter-governmental initiative launched in 2000 aimed at enhancing bilateral ties and bringing tangible benefits for African countries.

China-Africa trade has enjoyed at least 15-fold growth in the past decade, surging to $150 billion by the end of 2010. Inbound investment from China rocketed to more than $10 billion.

But Liu said the increased trade volume and capital inflow have also caused friction.

For instance, thriving Chinese businesses tend to deal a blow to local fledging mom-and-pop vendors, and Africans are increasingly worried about job losses.

Another source of tension may be the flood of fake merchandise in Africa with "made-in-China" labels, which tarnishes China's reputation and harms China's economy, said Bertram Mapunda, a specialist in China-African relations at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Another rising concern is the misinterpretation in China's intentions in Africa. Some claim that the Chinese have a hidden agenda of expansion in this relationship. However, it is apparent "no political domination is envisaged in the Sino-Africa relationship, as the two parties enter mutual and contractual agreements as equals", he said.

Yang Jiemian, president of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, favored closer policy coordination between the two sides in terms of international reforms, such as in the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Security Council, to serve as "the new points of growth for bilateral relations".