George Musiime experiences local printing technique in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, on 23 May (HU FAN)

It is very easy for an African living in Africa to be misled into believing that the China-Africa friendship is superficial. In fact, with so much of information reaching Africa about China-Africa cooperation being targeted at undermining the friendly relations enjoyed by the two sides and the efforts to build a China-Africa community with a shared future, this in a way is not surprising. 

As a Ugandan and African, I can understand why some of our young people might be tempted to question China’s intentions in Africa, given the level of negative publicity about this friendship. However, in the face of the barrage of negative media punchlines and misinformation, I also think that it is imperative for us to strive to make available to our people the right information.  

As an African with a strong interest in China-Africa cooperation, many times I come across information that is intended to discredit and undermine China-Africa friendship. Luckily, I had the opportunity to experience this friendship firsthand during my visit to China for the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival. The visit allowed me to get the true picture of China as well as the China-Africa friendship, and dispelled misperceptions.  

A long history 

Many a time when Chinese involvement in Africa is discussed, we are made to believe that China-Africa interactions began recently, which is just not true. Some of the oldest recorded China-Africa interactions are from 600 years ago during the voyages of Admiral Zheng He, who reached the East African coast in the 14th century. While he made several voyages to the East African coast with a huge fleet, he was never seen as a threat.  

In fact, his voyages were never about conquest or colonisation. It has been documented that he instead used the might of his military to fight pirates during the course of his voyages. In one of his inscriptions, the admiral wrote that because of the voyages, the sea routes became pure and peaceful and the foreign peoples could rely on them and pursue their occupations in safety.  

This is a testament to China’s lasting commitment to global peace, security, and common prosperity. Because, given the size and sophistication of the fleet he commanded, he could have chosen a different path, but he chose cooperation. His voyages have indeed been described as diplomatic in nature and he is known to have brought foreign envoys to the Ming court (1368-1644) as a way of building even stronger cooperation between China and the nations he sailed to. 

Power of language 

Language plays a significant role in fostering mutual respect, understanding and tolerance. My experience in China literally blew away the idea that China uses the teaching of the Chinese language in Africa as a tool for future colonisation. During my stay in Beijing, I was constantly in contact with young Chinese who were fluent in many foreign languages, and it was indeed fascinating to find young people who were fluent in local African languages.  

I had interesting conversations with two Beijing Foreign Studies University students who were fluent in Swahili. For a nation as powerful as China with the added advantage of all its 1.4 billion citizens speaking one language, there would be no reason to train its young people in foreign languages unless there was a strong commitment to cooperation and building mutual understanding. In fact, the study of local African languages is intended to serve as a path to building a community with a shared future for mankind. Therefore, China isn’t working to spread its culture in Africa as claimed by some in the West, but instead, the Chinese people are taking a keen interest in African culture.

Cultural curiosity  

Aside from the language exchange programmes, I was also honoured to visit the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University. Here, I came to learn that this institute has the country’s most prominent programme on African studies. In fact, the institute is home to a museum where artefacts of African culture are curated in an effort to preserve the culture. At the museum, I was exposed to aspects of African culture I had not experienced before despite living on the continent. This effort fits in very well with the Dar es Salaam Consensus which called for the adoption of the Global Civilisation Initiative, which advocates  respect for the different cultures of the world.  

This experience was further enriched at the Zhejiang Guangsha Vocational and Technical University of Construction, where I was guided through the different works by African students as well as the stories behind these amazing projects.  

A tour of these gallant institutions was an eye-opener to me, and I believe also for many of my colleagues, because it served to dispel the narrative that China will take advantage of Africa at some point. I could see firsthand that rather than trying to water down African culture, China is, if anything, serving as a curator and guardian of a sizeable portion of African heritage. Throughout my stay, there was at every turn something to remind me that my culture was always close.

Meanwhile, despite the deepening China-Africa cooperation focusing more on addressing the economic bottlenecks that Africa faces on its path to modernisation, my visit to China gave me a different view of China-Africa friendship; a view that is more about the people-to-people connections and cultural aspects of this friendship. I was brought in contact with the efforts being taken to not just expose Chinese people to African culture but also to preserve artefacts of African culture with a Chinese touch. It also tells something about the future of China-Africa friendship: it serves as a clear indication that as long as Africa is able to harness this friendship with China, the prospects of the continent will only get brighter.

The author is Research Fellow of Development Watch Centre, Uganda