Jointly Building a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future, Implementing Global Development Initiative, Promoting the Construction of New North-South Relations

Jointly Building a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future, Implementing Global Development Initiative, Promoting the Construction of New North-South Relations 

—An Exclusive Interview with Luo Zhaohui, Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency

Editor note: In the previous issue of World Affairs Pictorial - Foreign Affairs Horizon, we invited Mr Luo Zhaohui, Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), to introduce the development and focus of the CIDCA. In this issue, we are honored to invite Chairman Luo Zhaohui to continue to introduce how the CIDCA responds to new conditions and challenges, and promotes the construction of new North-South relations.

Foreign Affairs Horizon: President Xi Jinping recently attended the 15th BRICS Summit and visited South Africa, during which he also chaired the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue. China-Africa relations have entered a new stage. Could you give us an overview of China-Africa development assistance cooperation and the prospects?

Luo Zhaohui: On August 24th, President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue. He put forward three major initiatives: the Initiative on Supporting Africa's Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa's Agricultural Modernization, and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development. He also announced that next year China would host the FOCAC. These have received warm response, marking the latest progress in China-Africa cooperation and a new stage of jointly building a high-China-Africa community with a shared future.

China and Africa enjoy profound traditional friendship and share weal and woe together. Over the years, China has assisted the building of a large number of projects in Africa, such as the Tazara Railway and the Friendship Port in Mauritania, playing an important role in supporting African countries' independent and sustainable development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we have acted on Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, followed the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests in growing relations with African countries. Under the frameworks like the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the high-level Belt and Road Initiative forum, we have introduced a series of new policies and measures, including the nine programs, to assist Africa's development. We do not seek reward, but have reaped real friendship. In 1971, African countries "carried" the New China into the United Nations. Over the years, African countries have steadfastly supported China on Taiwan-related and human rights issues.

Firstly, promoting agricultural development. China has always prioritized the support for African agriculture development and food security in its cooperation with Africa. We have assisted more than 50 African countries in implementing over 500 agricultural aid projects, covering various fields such as crop cultivation, grain storage, agricultural machinery, irrigation, and crop-processing. We have established over 20 agricultural demonstration centers in Africa for training in breeding. In times of natural disasters in Africa in recent years, the Chinese government has provided emergency food aid at the earliest possible time.

Secondly, advancing health development. China has long been committed to helping African countries improve their medical and health conditions. A full-fledged and all-dimensional medical aid system has been established, consisting of medical teams, hospital construction, malaria control centers, medication and equipment donations, and medical personnel training. We have dispatched up to 30,000 medical team members to more than 50 African countries and regions, treating nearly 300million African patients. We have built over 100 hospitals and malaria control centers in Africa, donated medical materials, and trained tens of thousands of local medical staff. We have also supported African countries in dealing with major infectious disease challenges, such as Ebola and COVID-19.

Thirdly, enhancing infrastructure. Infrastructure has always been a priority area in China's assistance to Africa. The Tazara Railway is a landmark project of China's early support for trans-national infrastructure construction in Africa. After its completion, China has kept providing technical cooperation to assist the operation and management of the railway. We actively support Africa's efforts to strengthen itself through unity and advance African integration through projects such as the African Union Conference Center (the headquarters building of the AU), and the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters. Over the past decade, China has helped Africa in constructing over 6,000 kilometers of railways, over 6,000 kilometers of highways, and over 80 large-scale power facilities. 

Fourthly, strengthening capacity-building. China shares its experience in governance with African countries, assists in poverty alleviation, and helps enhance technological innovation capabilities and industrial vocational skills. We have sent more than 300,000 experts, engineers, technicians and managers to Africa and trained over 25,000 African professionals in various fields. We have cooperated with 45 hospitals in 40 African countries for exchanges and experience-sharing. At China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue, President Xi Jinping announced the invitation of 20,000 African government officials and technical talents to participate in workshops and seminars.

Foreign Affairs Horizon: In the context of rising geopolitical conflicts, intensifying great power rivalry, slowing North-South cooperation, and widening development gaps, how do you see the international development cooperation situation and its future direction?

Luo Zhaohui: At present, the world is gradually emerging from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-pandemic economic recovery is sluggish, and the path forward remains grim. On the one hand, the pandemic has swept away decades of global development. The implementation of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has come across setbacks, and the development deficit facing humanity continues to grow. The world's aspiration to achieve post-pandemic economic and social recovery through development and cooperation has become stronger, and expectations for closer international development cooperation are rising. On the other hand, however, competition between the global North and South in the field of international development cooperation has intensified. As emerging market countries have risen collectively, they are actively pursuing common development and play a more proactive role in formulating rules and having a greater say in international arena. The United States and other developed countries, however, prioritize geopolitical strategies and draw ideological lines. They have imposed more restrictions on aid-giving as well as aid-receiving countries of the Global South. China, for its part, has actively led South-South cooperation, and promoted North-South dialogue with notable results.

Faced with the new situation and challenges, China is doing what it can, but it is far from sufficient. Addressing global development challenges calls for global efforts and in-depth consideration of the direction of international development cooperation.

First and foremost, China will continue to spearhead international development cooperation. With President Xi Jinping's new ideas and initiatives on international development cooperation, China's high-quality development, institutional advantages, a well-received foreign aid model, and commitment to increasing resources into global development cooperation, our international development cooperation is bound to make further progress and contributions. China will continue to firmly work towards the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and act on the Global Development Initiative. After painting the broad strokes of the international development cooperation, now is the time to define the details.

Secondly, multilateral platforms should play a more prominent role. The United Nations should play a key and leading role in advancing the 2030 SDGs and the Global Development Initiative. It is important for the UN to promote global development governance, enhance policy coordination, prioritize development, focus on sustained collective action, and avoid being highbrow orators only. Regional multilateral organizations such as the BRICS, SCO, ASEAN and AU, as well as regional free trade arrangements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) should bring into full play their strengths in the region and in integrating aid, investment and trade. They need to deeply align with the 2030 SDGs and national development strategies of regional countries, interact positively with the United Nations system, and complement each other.

Thirdly, South-South cooperation will continue to gain momentum. As emerging countries including China rise collectively, the lines between traditional aid-receiving countries and emerging aid-giving countries are blurring. "Global South" countries have enhanced their participation in global governance. They are making greater efforts to pursue common development, advance the 2030 SDGs, seek a greater role in rules-making and have their say internationally. China advocates the principles of non-interference in internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, and the pursuit of greater good and shared interests, which are widely recognized by the international community. Southern countries need to enhance cooperation in areas such as poverty reduction, food security, health and sanitation, climate change, green development, and connectivity. They also need to pay special attention to addressing global security issues and create a sound environment for implementing the 2030 SDGs and the Global Development Initiative.

Lastly, the North-South competition in the international development cooperation will continue. The dynamics of North-South relations will profoundly impact the prospects of international development cooperation. The West, including the United States, practices selective multilateralism. Geopolitical strategies and ideological factors are taking on higher priority in their international development cooperation decisions. They will continue to work on rules, standards, and ideas to further restrict aid-giving and aid-receiving countries in the Global South. The trend to contain China will not change. In the realm of international development cooperation, dynamics of cooperation and competition will keep changing. Efforts should be made to promote North-South dialogue, achieve complementarity of advantages, uphold the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, seek common ground while reserving differences in development concepts, rules, and standards, and work for a new type of North-South relationship. Developed countries should fulfil their official development assistance commitments, while developing countries should enhance their capacity for independent development.