The annual two sessions in Beijing is truly representative of China’s visible hand, which has led a civilization of 1.4 billion people to achieve its poverty alleviation targets, guided by the nation’s socialism with Chinese characteristics and the goal of achieving xiaokang or a moderately prosperous, society.
Contextualizing China’s achievement, the country has lifted nearly 100 million people out of absolute poverty since 2013, and more than 850 million people over the past 43 years since China’s reform and opening-up began.
What is China’s secret formula for gaining such an achievement over a short period? What lessons should Africa learn from this success? And how can China help the African continent shed its tag of a dark continent to one that reflects a rising continent?
China’s 21st-century triumph is rooted in its past experience of facing extreme poverty and conflict, resulting in its desire to attain success through peaceful development.
Another factor is the resilience and determination of the Chinese people spread around the world, brought about the deepening of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.
As described in a New China Research think tank report this year, China’s secret formula is best described by the “5D’s”: determined leadership, development orientation, detailed blueprint, decentralized delivery and databased governance.
Here, the Communist Party of China has managed to harmoniously collaborate with eight other participating political parties in China. As a result of this advanced political maturity, the CPC has guided China to achieve economic development, deepen its reforms and improve the living standards of its people. This could only be achieved through having a determined leadership that is well represented in the two sessions.
China’s short-term and long-term goals have steered the country on a progressive path. Frequent monitoring and evaluation of policies have helped China to know what is working or not, and to invent and adopt what works best for the people. From this, the African Union needs to learn the importance of constant consultations with its member states on various policies it has put in place to drive the continent’s growth and development.
For instance, the two sessions set the stage for China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). Breaking down the country’s blueprint for the next five years will help the entire civilization own the vision and mission of its leaders. The previous sessions have managed to help the Chinese people visualize the importance of various global public goods that China is offering, such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Both the BRI and FOCAC have tremendously catapulted Africa’s development and growth, making the continent experience a new dawn as the rising continent.
Affirming China’s quest to solidify Sino-African cooperation, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a two sessions media briefing, highlighted key policy frameworks that will catapult Africa to becoming a steadfast rising continent, and lead to China-Africa cooperation standing out as a model for South-South cooperation among developing nations and a true example of international cooperation.
According to Wang, China has provided COVID-19 vaccines to 35 African countries and the African Union Commission, began construction of the headquarters of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, dispatched nearly 120 batches of emergency supplies, and sent medical expert teams to 15 African countries.
Further setting the stage for this year’s FOCAC meeting, which will be held in Senegal, Wang laid the groundwork for key areas of partnership that will see Sino-African cooperation rise to greater heights.
China plans to advance China-Africa cooperation to help African countries defeat COVID-19 and its negative impacts, strengthen public health governance, accelerate industrialization to boost Africa’s economy, build capacity for self-generated development, and speed up Africa’s integration. The cooperation will also help African nations embrace the trend of economic globalization and find political solutions to sustainable peace and stability.
The author is executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Kenya-based Africa Policy Institute.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.