- Chinese government reportedly is on a drive to cement its diplomatic relations with Africa
- Containers, packed with masks, ventilators, and protective suits are arriving from China
Racist hostilities against Africans captured the headlines recently. The issue arose when Africans living in China’s city of Guangzhou were subjected to compulsory coronavirus testing, a mandatory 14-day quarantine, and denial of access to supermarkets. China’s image came under severe attack by the outraged African media.
The Chinese government reportedly is on a drive to cement its diplomatic relations with Africa. China has come forward to extend its support all across the continent to fight Coronavirus. Containers, packed with masks, ventilators, and protective suits are arriving from China while Chinese doctors have been working as advisers in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso etc. Chinese billionaire Jack Ma and his foundation are active with large donations to countries including Rwanda, Cameroon and many other countries on the continent. Stephen Chan, Professor of Politics and International Relations at the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has remarked that the gesture is well in sync with China’s deep involvement in Africa for many years with infrastructure projects and aid programs. In other words, it reflects a continuation of this partnership and as a sign of goodwill, he feels.
In Africa’s current plight, it is a welcome move as it does not have many options. The global economic crisis has forced the continent to renegotiate its financial debt with China. Political experts are of the view that China will continue to increase its influence in Africa as a result of the crisis.
On the bilateral front, trade between China and Africa reported a fall of 14% in the first three months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, according to figures from China’s General Administration of Customs mainly. According to a study by Johns Hopkins University’s China Africa Research Initiative, China-Africa bilateral trade has grown steadily for the past 16 years, reaching $185 billion in 2018, up from $155 billion in 2017.
China was under lockdown and the economy shrunk by 6.8% during this period, slowing the Africa-bound exports by 10.5%. As China started lifting the lockdown at the end of the first quarter, many African countries began the second quarter of 2020 in lockdowns and curfews.
