Why China is Africa’s Trusted Development Partner.

Chinese premier Wen Jiabao famously said at the Summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh that “China is a “true and trusted friend” of the African continent and its people. He also emphasized that China’s support for Africa’s development is ‘real and solid’ and promised that no matter what turbulence the world undergoes, our friendship will not change.

China is consistently emerging as the country of choice to do business with Africa. The country has gradually gained the trust of the African continent and established a development momentum in Africa that will be difficult to stop. Analysts and proponents of the look East policy have attributed this development to China’s Pragmatism and favorable principles in Africa. They have basically sought common ground while reserving differences and maintaining equality and political mutual trust.

The Sino-Africa relation is a win-win one where policies are based on mutual development. China places a premium on non-intervention, reciprocity, mutual benefits and common development at the top of its agenda in Africa. These policies have been received in Africa with open arms and facilitated cooperation. Dr. Jean Ping, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission wrote an Article titled” China gives Africa hope” and he emphasized that China-Africa cooperation is win-win cooperation and both must work together and learn from each other.

China has been offering friendly assistance to Africa without attaching political conditions to such assistance; a key distinction from other international aid to Africa. Majority of that assistance is government –to- government assistance model by non- currency model. They have focused on concrete programmes such as infrastructure, livelihood projects, education, healthcare etc, from which the people can see and feel, and can benefit directly. Its investment in Africa, especially in infrastructure, has seen an impressive list that includes roads, railways, schools, hospitals, telecommunication, clean energy, technology and so on. Compared to assistance, investment is a more constructive way to achieve common development on a much broader scale by bringing in technology, skills, management conceptions and employment opportunities.

China is of course looking out for its own interests but so long as these interests are compatible with African interest and mutually beneficial, then Africa has no reason to shy away.  Former Zambian President Rupiah Banda well put it when he said, "The Chinese have selfish interests, naturally," He said. "We are prepared to do this with anybody else. It is not that this is reserved for China. It is that they are the only ones who seem to see it the way that we see it." He added that “China understands Africa better than most of the world and has proved itself a trusted ally.”

Confucius said we may learn wisdom by imitation, which is the easiest, and by experience, which is the bitterest.  But the third method, reflection, is the noblest. In terms of trade relations and economic and technical cooperation, China and Africa have made great strides with Africa reaping huge benefits particularly when it comes to moving up the manufacturing value chain, increasing productivity, infrastructure development and fostering private enterprise. 

China’s economic reality is more relevant to African states because it has come from the same circumstances that Africa is trying to get away from. Despite its rapid growth and immense achievements, China still belongs in the developing world and faces the same daunting task of lifting its people out of poverty. Africa can draw important lessons from China’s experiences as they continue to learn from each other and seek common development. 

The Forum on China-Africa cooperation was established in October 2000 to promote China-Africa strategic partnership. Every three years, Chinese and African leaders sit and discuss ways and means to realize these ends. This Forum has nurtured mutual trust and understanding, economic win-win cooperation and cultural exchanges thus creating a good development momentum. It has ensured that the development needs of both China and Africa are pursued and met.

Since the Inception of FOCAC, China has earnestly implemented all its cooperation commitments made at the various FOCAC ministerial and Beijing Summit. Smooth progress has been made in debt cancellation, tariff exemption, provision of concessional loans and the scheme of special loans designed to help small and medium sized African enterprises. These achievements, which have been well received by the African states and highly regarded by the International community, are here for everyone to see.

Since the 4^th Ministerial meeting of FOCAC, China has implemented the major pledges of the conference despite the grave challenges posed by the International financial crisis. These include agricultural technology demonstration centers, clean energy development and China Africa friendship schools which are well underway. Personnel training programs for Africans is ongoing and a series of important and exciting activities such as the China-Africa Agriculture Forum, the FOCAC-Legal Forum, the Young Leaders Forum, the Think Tank Forum, the “African Culture in Focus” program, the 20+20 Cooperation plan for Chinese and African Institutions of Higher education and the joint Research and exchange program, have been held one after another, bringing China-Africa cooperation to a new high.

Therefore, In China, Africa has found a political ally, a good cooperation partner economically and a diplomatic companion to work together for mutual development. The policies of equality, political mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and mutual understanding have ensured China remains Africa’s trusted development partner.

China grew by discarding big power mentality

A nation’s power is measured in many ways. In terms of geography, population, economy and resources, China is inherently a great power. Since 1978 when it began opening up and reforming its economy, China has gradually accumulated its national strength, improved its image and taken an active role in international affairs.

The common description of power in the International system is deeply flawed. It means different things and there is no consensus on the defining and differentiating characteristics of a great power. While the traditional military and strategic concept still counts, the perception of what constitutes a great power has changed significantly and is subject to redefinition and assessment. China’s own assessment of power focuses more on economic, scientific and technological prowess, rather than military focus. This is evidenced by the 2011 released white paper on China’s peaceful development.

China’s rapid growth and expanding influence in the International community has generated heated debates as to whether it has achieved ‘great power’ status. Whereas the Chinese are content with ‘emerging power’ status, its unprecedented growth and influence in the International community depict a nation that has taken charge. As it marches towards the centre of the world arena, China has been compelled to take International responsibilities matching its power, status and position. Despite inexperience in fulfilling great power responsibilities, the Asian nation has been swiftly thrust into the role of a great power and has resolutely taken these responsibilities and is portraying the image of a responsible power.

Great power responsibilities include financial, humanitarian, global governance and politics, International security etc. China is positively engaging the International community in addressing these challenges in a more primary role. It has increased its involvement in non-traditional security issues, and sought a more understanding of the world, especially Africa, to achieve a strong sense of responsibility. It is sympathetic to weak and kind to the meek. 

In terms of global governance, China has maintained a responsible attitude and goodwill towards the current world order by advancing concepts that do not disrupt the system. These include ‘peaceful coexistence’, ‘new security concept’, ‘peaceful development’ and ‘harmonious world’. Its development strategy embodies the system responsibility; that is, a development strategy under the framework of the current international rules and regulations rather than seeking an alternative and disruptive strategies that undermine the current system.

In the humanitarian sector, China is guided by its diplomatic tradition that lays emphasis on giving rather than gaining. This principle in the development of diplomatic relations with other states has more often been received with suspicion, but it has eventually helped in strengthening friendships and cooperation and expanding China’s influence. The country continues to attract international praise for its lead role in post-disaster assistance. Its skilled and professional international rescue teams have been dispatched across the globe in Algeria, Iran, Pakistan, Aceh, Yogyakarta, and Haiti among other areas.

In global governance and politics, China has stood with developing countries in international multilateral negotiations. It strives for the interests of developing countries as it understands that it cannot develop alone and therefore, it has pushed for the enhancement of ‘south south’ cooperation to achieve mutual compliments in development and economy.

In the last 34 years of reform and growth, China has showed the world the magnitude of its labor force, purchasing power, creativity, industry and commitment to development.  It has averaged an annual GDP growth of 9.4 percent annually and lifted over 400 million people out of poverty. Many countries are looking up to China for this remarkable achievement and Africa is set to be the biggest beneficiary of these lessons. China is sharing its development lessons with developing countries and making ground-breaking contributions to African development. Through the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Chinese leaders and African leaders discuss development challenges and ways to achieve equality and mutual prosperity.

Apart from offering inspiration to African countries, China has played a significant role in Africa’s growth in the recent past. In line with its commitment made at the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), it has provided African countries with assistance without political conditions through favorable concessional development loans, reduced tariffs and cancelled debts of least developed nations in Africa.

China’s power and its global role continue to elicit mixed sentiments. Assessing its power accurately is critical in understanding China’s achievements and its impacts on the international arena. China is inspired by an ancient Chinese philosophy which regards both material capability and morality as necessities of a durable global leader. China’s soft power is not only focused on making China a rich and strong nation, but to make the outside world friendly and safe for China to do business. Soft power counts more than hard power and China is all about making friends and securing peace and prosperity abroad and in turn a conducive environment for a solid economic base. Whereas China is not comparable to the United States Militarily and economically, it has clearly taken charge and is without doubt, a force to reckon with now in the near future.

The harmony of Cultures; from Beijing to the People of Kenya

Monday, March 26, 2012 is a very significant day for lovers of theatre, art and culture. This is the day that they will draw together at the Tsavo Ballroom of the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) from 6:30 pm to 9: 00 pm for a rare treat. Among the invitees for Monday’s event will be the vice-president, government ministers, and members of parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, students, artists and members of the public.

The Chinese government through the Chinese Embassy in Kenya will showcase the biggest cultural event in East Africa in recent times. The much awaited art performance titled “Night of Beijing” will feature six leading art troupes consisting of 130 artists from Beijing. Performances will include songs, dances, Peking Opera, acrobatics, Chinese martial arts and so on, several of which have won Gold prices in both domestic and International competitions.

Flanking the cultural show will be a photo exhibition dubbed The “Charming Beijing Photo Exhibition”. Nearly 100 pictures of Beijing’s glamour covering the themes of imperial palace, international city, people’s livelihood, local culture of Beijing and friendship between China and Kenya, will be on display. This promises to be a real treat for art lovers.

Kenya and China friendship has grown steadily over the last decade and the two countries have achieved significant growth in all the major sectors of the economy. Sectors of tourism, trade, health, infrastructure and economy are important but unless people feel the value of artistic expression in performance and culture, it would be very difficult to see the two countries united in diversity. This event will mark a significant milestone in China Kenya friendship and people to people exchanges as it seeks to strengthen the cultural ties and understanding between the Chinese people and the Kenyan people. Through art, culture and performance, people will get to appreciate each other’s cultures and way of life and will be capable of establishing strong, enduring friendships.

Chinese culture is one of the worlds oldest and most complex. Its components include literature, music, visual arts, martial arts, cuisine, etc. The audience will be treated to shows including martial arts with the distinctive Chinese flavor. China is the birthplace of Eastern martial arts and has produced the most renowned martial artists in the world. Chinese martial arts are collectively given the name Kung Fu  (Kung) for "achievement" or "merit", and (fu) "man", thus "human achievement. The highly entertaining Chinese opera is also one of the oldest dramatic art forms in the world. It evolved from folk songs, dances, talking, antimasque, and especially a distinctive dialectical music. Accompanied by traditional musical instruments, actors present unique melodies as well as dialogues which are beautifully written and of high literary value. The actors will also fascinate the audience with their marvelous acrobatics. For the audience, Monday night will be an unusual one.

Aristotle wrote that, friendship was the basis of politics; indeed all social bonds. In the modern world, friendship is developing a world culture. It blossoms among peoples of different countries and continents irrespective of their class, creed and color. Every country has it unique and distinctive culture of its own. When these cultures are taught across the globe through classics, paintings, music, dance, drama, literature and literature, a world culture of friendship is developed. Apparently culture and friendship look to be two different things, yet culture develops upon friendship and friendship cherishes on culture. Just like love, friendship also starts at first encounter. The general behavior and attitude, kindness, loyalty and decency bring people closer at first. Then mutual understanding and cooperation takes place as time passes on and the friendship solidifies.

Friendship and understanding between nations and their people has gained an esteemed place in the new world culture because of its invaluable benefit to mankind. Cultural ideas may be expressed differently from one culture to the other, but the central idea is concerned with human understanding and progress. After the two world wars, the old order changed to the new order, science and technology, communications and education spread far and wide with a blend of ideas, ideals and ideologies in the society. There is much scope for different peoples, irrespective of their geographical position to mingle together and develop a world culture by means of friendship.

By diverting the attention of nations towards the world culture, the thought of war, hatred, fear and competition can be thwarted. In the name of friendship all the nations should be involved in responsible creative activities with a view to solve common problems like poverty, disease and ignorance and strive for world harmony. The internal harmony of the people depends upon the world harmony. Through the world culture by fulfilling the external needs of the people, the world harmony can be achieved. This could be the aim of the world culture through friendship in the modern age.

Don’t hate the player; hate the game of ethnic politics in Kenya.

The use and abuse of ethnicity by politicians in Kenya is as old as Kenya itself and old habits die hard. In the pre-colonial times, ethnic groups co-existed peacefully and competition for resources was limited and healthy apart from a few cases of conflict that were resolved amicably. Whereas the origins of contemporary Kenyan ethnic identities lie in the colonial state, it is not solely responsible for the current state of events.

After Independence, our leaders continued to abuse ethnicity to maintain political power and further their selfish interests. They established a pattern of power distribution in the post-colonial state based on ethnicity that determined access to social and material resources. The uneven distribution of power meant inequitable distribution of resources and because the state controlled the production and distribution of resources, there emerged competition for these resources at state level making the state the focus of ethnic politics and conflicts.

This state of events has increasingly led to ethnic mobilizations and manipulation of ethnic and cultural identities of groups. How to take advantage of the national ‘cake’ is one of the permanent major features of politicized ethnicity in our country. The various ethnic groups perceive the ‘national cake’ as essentially limited and the main goal of inter-ethnic political struggle  at the level of central government is to draw away resources to benefit the ethnic group or region represented at the core of power in government.

The pattern we see today is that; the first president came from a tribe which benefited most materially. Then the next president came from a different tribe and now it became their time ‘to eat’. Now we have a third president and the trend has continued but this time to a lesser degree. If this trend continues, by the time the presidency moves round if ever it will; some tribes will have been extremely marginalized. The governing mood in the current setting appears to be telling outsiders from the governing tribes to wait for their turn to come.

Since independence, our political parties have been in reality, coalitions of ethnic based factions. Because of the belief that the ethnic group from which the president comes is likely to benefit more by being given more access to employment and other resources. As a result, each ethnic group tries to ally itself with a presidential candidate who is likely to promote its interests.

The widespread expectation for people in positions of power to favor members of their ethnic groups has a significant implication in the way politics is conducted in our country. First, it makes voters inclined to support politicians from their own ethnic groups over others and because politicians know that voters will do this, it creates incentives for politicians to express their electoral appeals and frame their coalition building strategies in ethnic terms. It also informs politicians about how voters are likely to cast their votes and therefore which kinds of ethnic coalitions would be most useful to mobilize. For voters, ethnicity provides insights into how candidates will distribute patronage if they are elected. It helps them determine the advantage the will have if one candidate wins the election over another. Therefore, both politicians and voters find ethnicity to be a powerful tool.

The new constitution and the new institutions in place give us an opportunity to play a different set of card game that is fair and just to all. Perhaps its full implementation and the increased political activity and awareness by the populace will enable it transform  us to a free and fair country where ethnicity will not form a basis for employment and election into national offices but rather where merit will be promoted and politics will be used to harness the strength in Kenya’s diversity.  It is even encouraging to see that most Kenyans are beginning to push for a new morality in public life as enshrined in the new law and demanding that the new generation of politicians be guided by ethics rather than ethnicity.

The educated youth in Kenya, most of whom do not owe their ethnic groups for their professional and economic success, should not sit and watch as tribalists lead them to misery but stand up to their leadership potential and tackle the backwardness of ethnic politics aware that they have only lent their future to political leaders in trust; a trust they can recall whenever necessary. The challenge is to accept the inevitability, and indeed the legitimacy of different ethnic identities and find ways to manage their coexistence.

REDD AGENDA: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.

Our environment today is our most valued resource and the sooner we realize that, the better for us. The backroom boys have delivered their verdict “act now or perish”. The effects of global warming and climate change are evident and calls for urgent action is getting louder by the day. The challenge is to fashion a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability.

“Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure.". Urges, John McConnell, founder of International Earth day,

Africa has been severely affected by the effects of climate change despite contributing very little to global warming. Nevertheless, it has a responsibility to play in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions as well as adapt to climate change. It has been predicted that the region will continue to experience more dramatic droughts and floods, and a totally different weather pattern.

For the region to address the challenges of adaptation and mitigation, it needs substantial financial resources, information systems, technical capacity and the right policies and institutions. The answer may lie in REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), is a mechanism to create an incentive for developing countries to protect, better manage and wisely use their forest resources, thus contributing to the global fight against climate change and reap financial rewards as well. 

The basic idea of REDD was to create a system of positive initiatives to persuade developing countries to reduce their deforestation rates. It was also seen as a way of bringing developing nations to the climate change table by some industrialized nations.

It is being viewed as a compromise between the already developed countries responsible for climate change and developing nations seeking to develop in the same path thus a win –win option with co-benefits. It was given global status after its inclusion in the Bali Map at COP 13 the UNFCCC held in Indonesia in 2007.

The UN-REDD Programme, was then launched in September 2008, in collaboration with the world bank, to help developing countries strengthen their capacity to take advantage of the immense opportunities offered by REDD to transform them to green and sustainable economies.

REDD+ is a term used to refer to enhanced efforts that go beyond reducing deforestation and forest degradation to include the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. It strives to make forests more valuable standing than cut down, by creating a financial value for the carbon stored in standing trees. 

REDD+ means that farmers in developing countries can now be compensated for the carbon offsets they provide. It is widely seen as an attractive way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously conserving forests and sustaining rural livelihoods.

REDD has been received with great enthusiasm in the region not surprisingly, with the prospects of reaping the tens of billions of dollars that researchers have estimated REDD could generate annually. It is generating a lot of interest within the East African region with debates on how the region could increasingly get involved in REDD+ mitigation activities.

Planning has included the preparation of Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP) that outlines the processes by which governments will develop national strategies to achieve REDD objectives and participation in the evolving international mechanism for reducing emissions.

Even though the REDD+ strategy is in place, the details of the mechanism are still under development and as a result, it remains unclear exactly how emission reduction will be rewarded in the future. This calls for forward thinking and flexibility in planning and strategizing to take into account the evolving nature of REDD+ mechanism. Expectations of REDD+ mechanisms have to be carefully managed as well. 

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are starting to pilot REDD+ projects and currently in the process of developing national REDD+ plans. The process of REDD+ implementation has started through national planning processes and the development of pilot projects, giving some sense of what REDD+ might look like in practice.

Kenya was one of 14 countries to receive funds in the first round of the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, a scheme to kick-start REDD projects in developing nations. There is particular interest in the REDD+ incentive system as payments can be linked to performance. In addition, REDD+ may be more cost-effective than other emission-reduction policies.

The East African countries have started to implement legal, institutional and policy reforms to fast track the development of REDD and ensure they reap maximum benefits from it. However, it is unclear how the benefits arising from REDD should be shared. Of main concern are the rights of indigenous communities and land rights.

Land rights and tenure pose the major challenge being faced by countries in the region. Indigenous peoples and forest communities face the risk of evictions from forests as witnessed in some countries and those without tenure may not be able to claim compensation under REDD.

The complex yet lucrative market based approaches to REDD discourages community participation and encourages fraud and corruption. Criminal activities relating to carbon credit transactions by both state and individuals are likely to cause a major problem and this does not bode well for the interests of the communities whose territories are being targeted for REDD projects.

VAT avoidance, credits from fraudulent or non-existent projects, double counting, and the resale of retired credits, have all been happening and therefore the emissions trading system can easily be manipulated and abused if proper checks and balances are not put in place. Unfortunately, there aren’t any globally agreed guidelines and safeguards in place either.

REDD provides an enabling environment for developing countries to better cope with the impacts of climate change: Populations are better placed to adopt to the impacts of climate change such as prolonged droughts, flooding and changes in crop yields due to rising temperatures. It is an important factor in enabling climate change adaptation, helping to protect biodiversity and reducing erosion, whilst building resilience of local livelihoods and resources.

There are many unanswered questions concerning REDD, yet players are determined to get a mechanism for REDD established in some form or another as soon as possible. It is now up to the relevant authorities to take up the REDD agenda, facilitate its implementation, ensure the costs and benefits are shared equitably and most importantly, respect the rights of forest and indigenous communities.

REDD project brings substantial benefits to local communities in education, job creation, environmental protection and direct financial rewards, while protecting precious biodiversity at the same time, and proves that well designed, well managed REDD projects can succeed in Africa.