By Zweli Martin Dlamini
Africa-Press – Eswatini. Eswatini being a poor but gradually developing country cannot afford to maintain the continued diplomatic isolation while other African countries strive to realize development by establishing diplomatic relations with China,an economically stable world superpower.
Apart from infrastructure development,the ongoing interactions between Africans and Chinese nationals is slowly changing the face of the African continent in terms of skills development,eSwatini is part of Africa and must therefore,facilitate the process of being part of development.
Indeed,people-to-people bonds hold the key to state-to-state relations and therefore,the increasingly closer and productive cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa makes up an important part of China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership,and an important pillar underpinning the China-Africa community with a shared future.
China and Africa are both cradles of civilization, and have a long history of interactions.
As early as in the eighth century, Du Huan from China’s Tang Dynasty (618 A.D.-907 A.D.) visited Africa. That was before Chinese voyager Zheng He’s fleet reached the cast coast of Africa in the15th century.
In the 14th century, Ibn Battuta, the famous Moroccan explorer, set foot on Chinese soil, and described what he saw in the beautiful and prosperous land of the Orient in The Travels of Ibn Battuta, opening a window for people from Africa and China to know about each other.
Though oceans apart, Chinese and African civilizations share inherent connections. Africa’s philosophy of Ubuntu, which values compassion and sharing, and Mbongi, which advocates dialogue and consultation, are quite similar with the teachings of China’s Confucianism–“love the people and all beings, and seek harmony among all nations.
“China and Africa agree on the importance of collective interests, respect for seniority, equality and tolerance, and harmony between man and nature.
Over the centuries, China and Africa have developed unique cultural traditions and qualities that provide valuable inspiration to each other.
All civilizations grow from their particular environment and embody the wisdom and vision of countries and peoples.They all contribute ideas and values that drive human advancement.
As President Xi Jinping said, no civilization in the world is superior to others; every civilization is special and unique to its own region.
China and Africa have been engaging with each other in sincerity, goodwill,equality,openness and inclusiveness, and writing new and more splendid chapters of different civilizations embracing one another.
Exchanges are about the people.
As more and more Chinese and Africans visit each other’s countries, bridges are built that bring our people and hearts closer.In 1963,the first Chinese medical team arrived in Algeria.
Until 2023. 24. 000 Chinese medical workers have been seconded to Africa.
But today, 45 Chinese medical teams are doing great work in more than 100 locations across 44 countries in Africa.
Ruth,a Ugandan lady living in a Chinese village in the coastal province of Zhejiang,has become an internet celebrity vlogging about her life in China.She has gained millions of followers and encouraged many local villagers to open online shops, which helped increasing their incomes.
China and Africa have established 67 Confucius Institutes and 10 Confucius Classrooms in Africa.
Sixteen Luban Workshops have been set up in 14 African countries.
More than 3,000 Chinese enterprises are doing business in Africa and have established vocational schools for locals.
Tens of thousands of African students are studying in China. At China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue in August 2023, President Xi Jinping put forward the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent
Development, giving a further boost to China-Africa youth exchanges and talent cultivation. African songs and dances wowed the audience in China’s annual Spring Festival Gala. Chinese films and TV dramas have been broadcast in Africa, attracting countless viewers.
The two sides have held events under the China-Africa Think Tank Forum, China-Africa Youth Festival, Women’s Forum, Media Cooperation Forum, and the Seminar on Chinese Modernization and African Development.
The close interactions between Chinese and African peoples are connecting the Chinese dream and the African dream together, and making up a most fascinating part of China-Africa community with a shared future.
We live in a world of increasing turmoil, where hegemonic, bullying and domineering practices are wreaking havoc, global recovery remains elusive, and inequalities are glaring. Humanity faces myriad challenges, and the Western civilization that has long dominated the world is struggling to cope.
The question that emerges with our times is: In which direction should human civilization be brought forward? Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting on March 15, 2023, outlining how China envisions the future of civilization.
China believes humanity should overcome estrangement between civilizations with exchanges, prevent their clash with mutual learning, and overcome a false sense of superiority with coexistence.
China’s call has been widely welcomed and supported by African countries.
While some try to preach “civilization centralism” and the idea that one civilization is somehow superior to another, China and Africa through their exchanges rise above the “us against them” mentality and give vivid expression to China’s vision for human civilization.
As President Xi Jinping notes, “Diversity of civilizations should not be a source of global conflict; rather, it should be an engine driving the advance of human civilizations”.
As China continues its rejuvenation and developing countries continue their rise, the next summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation(FOCAC) will provide a great opportunity for China and Africa to further strengthen exchanges and mutual learning.promote people-to-people contact and affinity, take confident steps to bring about new progress in their respective civilizations, and generate new energy for China and Africa to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
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