AChina-madelocomotiveforMombasa-NairobiStandardGaugeRailwaylineTheSilkRoadEconomicBeltandthe21st-
CenturyMaritimeSilkRoad,China’stwinglobaloutreachdevelopmentparadigms,enunciatedbyChinesePresidentXiJinpingin2013duringhisstatevisitstoKazakhstanandIndonesia,areupandrunning.
OriginallydesignedasaEurasiantransportnetworkandintegratedthree-dimensionalandinterconnectedsystemthatiscomposedofrailways,highways,aviation,navigation,oilandgaspipelines,transmissionlinesandcommunicationnetworksfromwhichindustrialclusterswouldemerge,ithasbecomeagloballyinclusiveframework.
TheSilkRoadEconomicBeltandthe21st-CenturyMaritimeSilkRoad,betterknowncollectivelyastheBeltandRoadInitiative,aretodaytakingshapeasatrans-regionalcooperationmodelconnectingAsia,AfricaandEurope’spolicies,trade,facilities,fundsandpeopleinthe21stcentury.AccordingtothedocumentVisionandActionsonJointlyBuildingSilkRoadEconomicBeltand21st-CenturyMaritimeSilkRoad,co-releasedbyChina’sNationalDevelopmentandReformCommission,MinistryofForeignAffairsandMinistryofCommercein2015,thejointconstructionoftheBeltandRoadis“aimedatpromotingorderlyandfreeflowofeconomicfactors,highlyefficientallocationofresourcesanddeepintegrationofmarkets,encouragingthecountriesalongtheBeltandRoadtoachieveeconomicpolicycoordinationandcarryoutbroaderandmorein-depthregionalcooperationofhigherstandards,andjointlycreatinganopen,inclusiveandbalancedregionaleconomiccooperationarchitecturethatbenefitsall.”
Manyinitiatives
TheBeltandRoadInitiativehasalreadyamassedhugeinternationalgoodwillwithparticipationofmorethan100countriesandorganizations,inacooperationarrangementthatisopen,inclusive,balancedandbeneficialforallcountriesinvolved.
Originally,thecoastofEastAfrica,wherethefamousChinesenavigatorZhengHetraveledover500yearsagotoinauguratethehistoricalprecursortocontemporaryChinaAfricacooperationandfriendship,wastheonlypartofAfricacoveredinthetraditionalMaritimeSilkRoad.
However,inthenew,upandrunningframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiative,thewholeofAfricaiswellwithintheopenandinclusiveprocess.ThecriticalchallengeofinfrastructurenetworktocomplementthelongheldaspirationforaunitedandintegratedAfricahasfoundapracticalandpowerfulimpetusintheChinadriveninternationalcooperatingframework.Freeofagrandinstitutionalbehemoth-likeseparatesecretariatandformalred-tape,theBeltandRoadInitiativewillbeanchoredonexistingregionalandinternationalmechanisms,afarcryfrombuildinganotherglobalorregionalbureaucracy.
WithagrowingpresenceinAfrica,Chinaisengagedintheconstructionofthephysicalstructuralframeworkforintegration.ThePortofMombasainKenyahasreachedanadvancedstageofcompletionandtheMombasa-NairobiStandardGaugeRailwaylinethatwouldconnecttoUganda,SouthSudanandthroughtoRwandaisupandrunning.Thelong-drawnEastAfricaneconomicintegrationthatwouldboostthesub-region’seconomiesofscalewillgainpracticalmomentumwiththetrans-regionalraillines.
Meanwhile,Ethiopia,agrowingindustrialhub,initiallyhobbledbyadeficitofportaccess,isnowconnectedthroughAfrica’sfirstmodernelectrifiedrailwaytothePortofDjibouti.TheTanzania-ZambiaRailwaybuiltinthe1970swithChina’sassistanceasanenduringmonumentofChina-Africafriendshipisdueforrehabilitation,withChina,ZambiaandTanzaniaworkingincooperation.Throughacomprehensivereformofthemanagementsystem,effectivelylinkingtherailwaytoports,andbuildinganindustrialeconomicbeltalongtherailway,itishopedthatthe1,860-kmrailwaylinewillgainfreshvigorandhelpTanzania,ZambiaandotherAfricancountriestoboostindependent,inclusiveandsustainabledevelopment.
Nigeria,oneofthelargesteconomiesofAfrica,isonthecuspofinfrastructurerevolution,asChinadeepensitsengagementinthatvitalandvalue-creatingchain.TheAbuja-KadunaStandardGaugeRailwayisupandrunningandattheceremonytolaunchtheLagos-Ibadanrailline,thatwouldconnectthenortherncommercialhubofKano,VicePresidentYemiOsinbajocalledChinaNigeria’smostreliablefriend.TheproductioncapacitycooperationwithNigeriaisintopgear.
ElsewhereinNigeria,theLagosLekkiFreeTradeZone,anincubatinghubofNigeria’sreindustrializationefforts,isreceivingmassiveboostfromcomprehensiveChineseparticipation.AtarecentseminarattheLekkiFreeTradeZone,ChineseAmbassadortoNigeriaZhouPingjiansaid,“Astheworld’slargestmanufacturingcountryandsecondlargesteconomy,ChinasincerelyhopestoshareitsexperiencewithNigeriaandstandsreadytoprovidecapital,technologyandpersonnelinsupportofNigeria’sindustrialization.”ZhouaddedthatChinasupportstherelocationoflabor-intensiveindustriestoNigeriaonaprioritybasisandthelocalizationofChinesecompaniestocreatemorenon-agriculturaljobs,especiallythosesuitedtoyoungpeople.
InclusiveProcess
AlreadyChinahasexpendedover50percentofthe$60billiongiventofundprojectsinthe10cooperationplansoutlinedbyPresidentXiJinpingattheJohannesburgSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC)heldinSouthAfricainDecember2015.
TheprofoundlygoodnewsisthattheprocessofChinaAfricadeepeningengagementonthedecisiveinfrastructurechallengeofthecontinentwillreceiveamassiveboostandwillbefurthermainstreamedintheframeworkofChina’sBeltandRoadInitiative.
TheBeltandRoadInitiativeproposedbyChinaisbothanall-roundopening-upstrategyandinternationalplanalongwithpublicgoodsundertheprincipleofwideconsultation,jointcontributionsandsharedbenefits,allaimedatestablishingacommunityofcommondestiny.
WiththeframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiative,ChinahasledtheestablishmentofAsianInvestmentandInfrastructureBank(AIIB)forwhichmorethan60countriesandregionsincludingtherichindustrializedcountriesoftheOrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopmenthavesignedin.TheSilkRoadFundisalsoupandrunninganddisbursingfundsforprojectsearmarkedintheprocess.
Africa’sfundingdeficitcouldbeconsiderablyamelioratediftheregion’sgovernmentsstrategicallyengagewiththeglobalpublicgoods,generouslyofferedbytheBeltandRoadInitiative.Importantly,theBeltandRoadInitiative,asanopenandinclusiveprocessdrivenbywideconsultations,jointcontributionsandsharedbenefits,doesnothavethegeo-politicaltrappingsseenintheU.S.MarshallPlanthroughwhichtheUnitedStateshelpedpost-WorldWarIIEuropetoreconstructandrecover,butlockeditintoU.S.strategicnationalsecurityinterests,aburdenwhichfuelsthecurrentdebateaboutthefutureoftheNorthAtlanticAlliance.
Benefitingyouth
TheconnectivityimplicitintheBeltandRoadInitiativeistoboostpeople-to-peoplecontact.Asthenetworkofinfrastructureconnectivitywillbecomplementedbyindustrialclustersandothereconomicactivities,theinitiativeisexpectedtosoakinalargearmyofyoungpeopleinAfrica,bothintheformalandinformalsectorsoftheeconomy.Notonlywouldtransportationdurationbeconsiderablycut,butthenetworkarterieswouldfeatureaboominginformalservicesector.Thenumberofyoungpeopleattractedtoanti-socialbehaviorsandconduct,includingcriminalityandextremistinsurgencies,wouldbereadilyabsorbedintomeaningfulproductiveandotherusefuleconomicactivities.
Inshort,theBeltandRoadglobalintegrationprocesshasenormouspotentialtosolvepracticalproblemsofunemploymentinAfrica.
(TheauthorisdirectoroftheCenterforChinaStudies,Abuja,Nigeria)
TheprofoundlygoodnewsisthattheprocessofChina-AfricadeepeningengagementonthedecisiveinfrastructurechallengeofthecontinentwillreceiveamassiveboostandwillbefurthermainstreamedintheframeworkofChina’sBeltandRoadInitiative.