Today,heremainsanactivepropellerforChina-Africacommunication.Fromtimetotime,ChengTaoreceivesphonecallstodiscussnewAfrica-relatedmeetings,projectsandlectureswithvariousagencies.“Ijustworkearnestlyanddiligently,”hesays.“Thereisnothingmagnificentaboutme.Ididnotwriteaveryboldperiod,butIwroteitneatly.”ChengTaowithlocalchildreninMorocco.TheMoroccanchildrenshowgreataffectionforChina.“AmbassadortoAfrica”
In1981,ChengwasworkingfortheMinistryofForeignAffairsofChinawhenhewasdispatchedtoGabon.ThiswasthefirsttimethathesetfootontheAfricancontinent.
Inthosedays,mostChinesepeoplewerestillunfamiliarwithAfrica,andconsidereditaremote,mysteriousandevenundevelopedcontinent.WhenAfricawasmentioned,peoplethoughtofnegativetraitssuchas“hotclimate,rampantmosquitoesandflies,anddiseases.”Infact,asearlyas1982,Gabon’spercapitaannualincomeexceededUS$3,000,muchhigherthanthatofChina,whichstayedatonlyUS$194backthen.PeopleinGabonlivedincomfortandhappiness.Therefore,Cheng’sfirstimpressionofAfricawasverypositive.
Inhissubsequentdaysasadiplomat,Chengvisitedmorethan40Africancountries.BecausehedealtwithAfricanaffairsyearround,hebecameknownasthe“ambassadortoAfrica.”Overtheyears,hefoundAfricanotentirelyconsistentwithhisoriginalimpression.Africa,hesaw,isrichinresourcesandhasapromisingfuture.HewasmostimpressedbyfiveAfricancountries:SouthAfricainthesouthofthecontinent,Moroccointhenorth,Mauritiusintheeast,SenegalinthewestandGaboninthemiddle.
ChengnotedthatnoonecanforgetSouthAfrica.“SouthAfrica’seconomicoutputwasthehighestinAfricaforquitealongtime,”heexplained.“Themainreasonsarethatitspoliciesalignwithitsnationalconditions,andpoliticalstabilityandpeacefulcoexistenceofallethnicgroupsaddtoitscharm.SouthAfricaisalsorichinnaturalresourcesanddiverseinexternalrelations.”
“Onetime,duringPresidentXiJinping’svisittoAfrica,Iledadelegationof60ChineseentrepreneurstoSouthAfrica,”herecalled.“UnlikewhatmostofthoseentrepreneursexpectedofAfrica,wedidn’tseetrashorgraffitianywhereinthestreets.Oneday,pouringrainandlightningknockedoutthetrafficlights.Butevenwithoutsignals,trafficstillflowedsmoothly.Wewereallstunnedbythescene.”
Moroccoisacolorfulcountry.Chenglikensittoabigtree.“ItisdeeplyrootedinthelandofAfricaandabsorbsitsnutrients,”heillustrated.“However,itsbranchesandleavesarebathedintheArabsunshineanditbreathesfreshairfromEurope.ItrestsinAfrica,butunlikeatypicalAfricancountry.Itdoesn’tgrowinEurope,butissimilartoaEuropeancountry.”MoroccoisanArabcountry,butmoreopenanddemocraticthanitspeers.About90percentofMorocco’snationalsareMuslims,buttheyliveinharmonywithJewsandChristians.DuringforeignNationalDayreceptionsinMorocco,porkproductsandsausagescanbeserved.“ButtheymustaddapictureofapigonporkproductstowarnMuslims.”
MarkTwainoncesaid,“Mauritiuswasmadefirst,andthenheaven;andheavenwascopiedafterMauritius.”Mauritiusisoftenreferredtoas“ParadiseIsland.”Senegalisasmallcountrywithanareaofabout200,000squarekilometers,butitishighlycivilized.TheWorldBank’sWorldDevelopmentReport2018rankedSenegalasoneofthemostsuccessfulreformmodelsinAfrica.
China-AfricaRelations:StableandGrowing
Sino-Africancooperationhasalonghistoryandasolidfoundation.Inthe1960s,manyAfricancountriessoughtindependencefromEuropeancolonialism.Nationswerebecomingliberatedandthepeopledemandedrevolution.Inresponsetothistrend,ChinachosetosupportAfricancountries.“TheChinesepeoplewhostoodupneverforgottheAfricanpeoplewhohadyettostand.”Chengsaid.“Chinawantedtohelppullthemup,andthatisexactlywhatwedid.”ChinahasprovidedagreatdealofassistancetoAfricainpolitical,economicandevenmilitaryrealms,helpingmanycountriesonthecontinentachievenationalindependenceandshakeoffthechainsofcolonization.
“Throughitsaidtothecontinent,ChinahaswontrustfromAfricancountriesandconsolidateditsfriendshipwithAfrica.ItispreciselybecauseoftheunityofdevelopingcountriesthatChinawasfreedfromimperialistblockade,embargoandisolation.OnOctober25,1971,theAfricanpeople‘carried’ChinaintotheUnitedNations.Sincethen,AfricahasalsostronglysupportedChinainmanyrelevantinternationalaffairs.”
Overtheyears,China-Africacooperationhasdevelopedrapidlyandachievedremarkableresults.Chengremarkedthatinrecentyears,iftherelationshipbetweenthetwosideschanges,itwillalwaysbeforthebetter.ChinahasbeenAfrica’slargesttradingpartnerforeightconsecutiveyears.In2000,Sino-AfricantradeamountedtomorethanUS$10billion,andthefigurejumpedtoUS$170billionin2017,anincreaseofnearly20timesin18years.In2000,China’sinvestmentinAfricaamountedtoUS$1billion,andthelatestdatashowsthatthenumberisnowoverUS$100billionandhasincreasedmorethan100fold.
AttheJohannesburgSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperationin2015,China-AfricarelationswerefurtherupgradedbyproposalsdeclaringthatChinaandAfricashouldseek“equalityandmutualtrustinpolitics,win-wincooperationineconomy,mutuallearningincivilization,mutualassistanceinsecurityandunityandcoordinationininternationalaffairs.”Thisisacomprehensivestrategicpartnership.“Wearenotonlyacommunityofsharedinterests—wemustcloselyestablishacommunityofsharedfuturebetweenChinaandAfrica,”insistedCheng.“That’sthewayitusedtobeandhowitwillbeinthefuture.”
AbeachnearTamarinBay,Mauritius.Overthepast30years,Mauritiushasdevelopedfromalow-incomeeconomybasedonagriculturetoamiddle-incomediversifiedeconomy.Muchofitseconomicgrowthhasbeentheresultoftheexpansionoftheluxurytourismsector.VCGNewEra,NewDemands
Amongvariousdevelopmentconceptsaroundtheworld,ChinaandAfricasharesimilarviewsandaspirations.ChengcitedtheAfricanproverbthat“itisbettertoteachmantofishthantogivehimafish.”ThisisexactlythesameastheChinesesaying:“Giveamanafishandyoufeedhimforaday;teachamantofishandyoufeedhimforalifetime.”Africanowyearnsforindustrializationandagriculturalmodernization.AfricancountrieshopetolearnfromChina’sdevelopmentexperienceandjointlyexploredevelopmentpathsinlinewithnationalconditions.Chengbelievesthatinthisregard,Sino-Africancooperationwillbecomeanewhighlight.
Chengopinedthatthedevelopmentexperiencegainedbyanycountryshouldbewealthsharedbyhumansociety.“TheChinesepeoplewhohavestoodupshouldpulluptheirbrothersandhelpAfricastandup.WearegettingrichandarewillingtohelpAfricagetrich.Wearegettingstronger,andwehopethatAfricancountrieswillalsobecomestronger.Thisistherealheartofbuildingacommunityofsharedfuture.”
XiJinping’sreporttothe19thNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChinapointedoutthat“thebasicdimensionoftheChinesecontext—thatourcountryisstillandwilllongremainintheprimarystageofsocialism—hasnotchanged”andthat“China’sinternationalstatusastheworld’slargestdevelopingcountryhasnotchanged.”ChengTaoremarked,“Chinaisstilladevelopingcountry,andweareacommunityofsharedinterestswithAfrica.Internationally,weneedtospeakwithonevoice.AlthoughapermanentmemberoftheUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil,Chinaremainsadevelopingcountry.Chinaisstillfirmlycommittedtosafeguardingtheinterestsofdevelopingcountriesasitemergesasamajorpower,andAfrica’ssupporthasplayedanirreplaceableandpositiveroleinamplifyingvoicesfromdevelopingcountriesintheinternationalcommunity.”
Thecurrentinternationalsituationhasundergoneprofoundchanges,andtradeprotectionismandunilateralismareprevailing.Inthiscontext,AfricaisanindispensablepartnerofChina.“Noteveryoneintheworldisself-centeredandpursuingazero-sumgame,”Chengasserted.“ChinaandAfricaarepromotingtheconceptofwin-wincooperation,andslowlywinningunderstandingandacceptancefromtheworld.Ourcommongoalistobuildaharmoniousandbeautifulsociety.”
ChengTaospeakingattheFirstSeniorOfficialsMeetingoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperationonNovember25,2002.
Then-ChineseStateCouncilorYangJiechi(left)awardsChengTaoforhisoutstandingworkasadiplomat.