Learning from China: African cause and CPC’s people-centered model
China’s determination to improve its people’s living standards across generations exemplifies perseverance and sustainability at its best, thanks to the Communist Party of China (CPC) for its commitment and determination in all times.
The country’s resolve for internal development occurs along its continued support for the global good in Africa and other continents via South-South cooperation and is fueled by its belief in the philosophy of selfless internationalism.
Firmly believing in the universality of development, that the suffering of one brings no joy to the other, China has been siding with Africa since the time of the latter’s liberation movements and has continued to do so ever since.
It is through that spirit, for instance, that China agreed to finance the major China-Africa infrastructure project, the TAZARA railway connecting Tanzania and Zambia, out of the consideration that Zambia was facing transport blockades at the time from apartheid South Africa and the Portuguese-controlled Angola and Mozambique.
While the project was not commercially viable, it helped Zambia to import its highly needed necessities such as food and fuel, as well as to export its copper through Tanzania, which was not colonized or dominated by the white racists like many of its neighbors.
More importantly, China did offer the billion-yuan-worth TAZARA project forsaking its own much-needed infrastructure projects at home while the US, the UK, West Germany, the Soviet Union and the World Bank all turning down the request by the two newly independent African countries.
Since then, there have been several other projects in African countries, such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway and the construction of the AU Conference Centre and Office Complex, that bring China and Africa even closer, but attracting unnecessary criticism from the West in its struggle to maintain its advantageous position in Africa.
But with the largest population globally and having been colonized itself, things had never been easy in China, especially with the West’s resolve to contain its development by alienating the CPC and the Chinese people. Nevertheless, the CPC, committed to serving its people wholeheartedly, has reached out to those who live in the most remote and impoverished regions, helping them get out of poverty. This extraordinary effort has further enhanced Chinese people’s support to the CPC and bring the Party closer to the people.
At present, the CPC maintains the same spirit in serving the people of China and those of other countries, through large infrastructure projects such as those under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), in ensuring that our interdependent world prospers with no country left behind.
Recently, Mr. Guy Ryder, Director General of the International Labor Organization (ILO), joined other notable figures in the world to commend China’s efforts in creating employment opportunities for its people in both formal and informal sectors.
The CPC has ensured political stability that has allowed it to implement a series of programs aimed at improving Chinese people’s livelihood across generations. Of late, these include the policies of streamlining licensing procedures for setting up businesses, reducing taxes and levies on small and medium-sized enterprises, lowering import duties for consumption goods, and creating a world-class business environment to lure foreign investors while ensuring the Chinese people benefit from their investment endeavors.
The CPC has proved to be a people’s party, not an elite’s party. Its commitment to serve its people has won it popular support from the Chinese people in recognition of the work the Party continues to do for them spanning over 100 years since its founding.
Prioritizing the people’s needs and aspirations is one of the many lessons that African political parties, no matter ruling or opposition ones, need to learn from the CPC in their efforts to create a better political climate for sustainable development.
Africa learning to act the Chinese way in some aspects is not a new phenomenon. It has been the case since the times of the founding fathers, including Mao Zedong, Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Samora Machel, and many others.
By carrying forward the spirit of our forefathers in light of the present-day conditions, China and Africa can gear toward better cooperation for the benefit of their peoples.
