In recent years, as China's presence in Africa continues to grow, so too have the scathing reports from the Western media criticizing China's presence on the continent. They claim that the sole purpose of China's involvement on the continent is harvesting Africa's resources in a process that has been dubbed "neo-colonialism." 

But on the ground, opinions differ. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn believes that the Chinese presence on the continent has had a "benign influence."

"China's presence in Africa has also gone a long way in stimulating a continent wide expansion of infrastructure that has begun to narrow the competitiveness gap," said Dessalegn in a speech delivered at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) in Beijing on June 14, 2013.

Dessalegn, who was on his maiden voyage to China since he took office last year, explained that this gap had always stood in the way of Africa's successful entry into the global economy as an able partner, which can assist in global re-balancing and in helping the world find a less volatile economic equilibrium.

He Wenping, Director of the African Research Section at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of West Asian and African Studies said that apart from assistance, trade and direct investment, China's entry into Africa has attracted other countries' attention, and thus in a way, is promoting their investment in and cooperation with African countries.  

Apart from his engagement at BFSU, Dessalegn also held separate meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart Premier Li Keqiang, and Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress during his four-day visit on June 12-15. Dessalegn, who is also the current chairperson of the AU Assembly, spoke highly of the China-Africa new strategic partnership, which, in his view, has promoted the development and transformation of the continent.

Hailemariam Dessalegn delivers a speech at BFSU in Beijing on June 14, 2013 (LIU JIAN)

Pushing African integration

African unity and integration have long been a dream and goal of African leaders and people since they won their independence. Although continental integration is still faced with many challenges, Dessalegn believes China has played a positive and constructive role in facilitating this process. 

"Africa can compete globally only if it manages to carry out massive infrastructural expansion in sectors such as telecommunication, energy generation and in building efficient transportation systems," he said.

Li Anshan, Director of the Center for African Studies at Peking University, said China can play an even bigger role in facilitating African integration. "China can help facilitate African integration through the construction of infrastructure and the information super highway," he said.

A report from Standard Bank of South Africa shows that two-thirds of the funds for infrastructural construction in Africa are from China. Meanwhile, Chinese enterprises have constructed a large number of influential projects in areas such as power generation, telecommunications, transportation and energy, benefiting both sides.

"Besides this, China can also deepen its cooperation with the AU and sub-regional organizations through assistance or investment, and thereby help advance the regional integration process in Africa," Li added.

On January 28, 2012, the China-built AU Headquarters was transferred to the pan-African organization. "Which other friend of Africa would be willing to fund, design, build and maintain a new $200 million AU headquarters in the middle of a global financial crisis?" asked an article published on allafrica.com. 

In addition to bringing economic benefits, African integration also has political significance, according to Yang Lihua, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of West Asian and African Studies. "African integration can help promote intra-regional trade and economic development within Africa, and can also help the continent secure a place and voice on the global stage to safeguard African interests," she commented.