One thing that may come to the mind of anyone travelling overseas is what kind of reception they would encounter on the other side. Would it be a kind and hospitable atmosphere? Or would it be one that is less flaterring underscored by prejudice and derogatory attitudes, notwithstanding thelanguage barrier. This was only my second trip to China, yet I could not overcome my nervousness since this East Asian giant is evolving constantly and I was not sure what to expect in this changing leviathan.

As much as these feelings maybe true for most Africans making their way to China for various reasons, it is hard for them not to also become excited by the prospect of visiting the Middle Kingdom and witnessing the centuries of rich history, the paradoxes of imperial China existing within the crevices of a socialist/communist polity, its exquisite culture and experiencing its spectacular economy firsthand.

But perhaps the real excitement is to learn from the Chinese experience and see how African states,especially my country Liberia, recovering from the civil war and embarking upon its own post-war reconstruction can extrapolate lessons from the significant progress made by China in becoming an emerging world power. For Liberia this must be seen as a way of moving the post war reconstruction forward.

In recent years, Liberia has become one of many countries in the West African region that has seen a significant increase in the presence of a Chinese community residing there especially after Monrovia recognised the One-China Policy in 2003 in favour of Beijing vis-à-vis Taipei.

Chinese nationals can be found opening stores, shops and other businesses such as clinics in most communities across the country and from a cursory view it seems they are integrating themselves into Liberian society and adapting to the way of life here. Some Liberians I have interacted with spoke of their experiences and engagements with Chinese owned businesses. They alluded to the polite way they have been treated and the respect, decency and humbleness shown to them by their Chinese hosts when they enter their shops and businesses. This, of course, seems to contradict some of the mainstream perceptions that we hear about regarding Chinese aloofness and insular percularities. Yet, it was difficult for these individuals not to question whether the Chinese in Liberia are only demonstrating an external facade of good neighbourliness and brotherhood because 1) they are away from home and 2) they are seeking sympathy among Liberians to support their business goals as strangers in a foreign land?

The aforementioned questions, in addition to the ones asked at the beginning of this commentary about Chinese hospitality towards foreign visitors to their country seem omnipresent as we contemplate the Africa-China/China-Africa engagement.Indeed, I must admit that while these issues did surface from time to time as I embarked upon my trip to China as part of the Fahamu journalist study tour, it did not become an overriding concern.

Perhaps it was the intrigue of being able to visit China again that gripped my imgaination. This was my second visit to the Middle Kingdom. The first was in 2008 as a guest of the Beijing International Media Centre to report on the Olympic Games for my newspaper. Having gone through the nervesof a first time visitor, this time around, I was more captivated by how the landscape changed since my last visit. But more than that I was excited by the fact that this time I would be afforded the opportunity to meet and interact with peers from my vocation as well as ordinary citizens (from all walks of life) from whom I could understand Chinese social culture and daily existence from a broader perspective.

The experience was also about me representing my country. Through the various interactions, I begun to realise that I was not only here to learn but I was also enabling others to learn from me about Chinese misperpections relating to Africa. I began to understand and find questions to some of the positive and negative concerns I have heard about the Chinese and vice versa.

Reflecting on the two experiences in particular brought me to the conclusion that ordinary Chinese people demonstrated a nation in transition who were equally excited and sublime about their own history and economic rise. Yet, at the same time unsure of the outside world and what impressions were being conveyed about their country and culture.This became demonstrably evident during the visits to two universities where students gathered in numbers to hear from us about the continent and perceptions of China's image outside of its borders. These discussions really peaked my interest.

The students raised questions about some of the political issues across the continent including for example, the controversial murder of Eugene Terreblanche a white supremacist leader from South Africa and the implications thereof for race relations. Or for that matter what kind of social issues underpin the lives of African youth and as Africans what we think of the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe. Clearly this resonated interest in African issues highlighted the growing need to promote exchanges between African and Chinese people.

Immediately I began to feel from the students'curiosity that Africa is not alone and that people around the world want to know more about Africa, how Africans do things, and about their lifestyles in the same way as we and the rest of the world are curious about China, its culture and the future. My mind quickly shifted to the political leaders of Africa while meeting with these students. I immediately felt that the challenge now for our politicians/elites is to avoid politicking with the lives of the ordinary African people in their quest for political power because they are being watched by the world including those Chinese students who are observing the governance of our President and Prime Ministers.

(Patrick Wrokpoh is Associate Editor of The Inquirer in Monrovia, Liberia.)