adminGrowing relations between Africa and China are not exploitative but based on friendship and co-operation for the mutual benefit of the two sides, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Lin Lin said at the opening of a three-day China-Africa symposium on Tuesday.
Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Lin Lin said criticism of relations between the two was baseless.
The symposium being attended by academics and think tanks from Africa and China is meant to discuss ways that the relationship can be fully exploited for mutual benefit.
China-Africa relations this year enter their 50th year, with the Asian giant’s focus on the resource endowed continent constantly under the microscope.
Being the world’s second largest economy, China is posing serious threats to Western interests in Africa which has seen the relationship being constantly scrutinised amid accusations of attempting to colonise the continent. But Ambassador Lin said China-Africa relations were beneficial to both sides.
“There are always people observing China-Africa relations through coloured glasses with the Cold War mentality, posing groundless criticism and attacks against China-Africa cooperation,” Lin said at the symposium which ran under the theme: “Fifty years of China-Africa cooperation”.
“Such practises have disturbed the stable development momentum of China-Africa co-operation. The relationship is based on friendship and cooperation and remains top on the agenda of our leadership.”
All socio-economic aspects of China-Africa relations have grown over the years with trade in 2012 estimated to have topped US$200 billion while mutual visits were over 1,5 million the same year.
Lin said China had set targets towards further growing its economy by doubling its gross domestic product and per capita income by the year 2020. With Africa also entering a period of rapid growth, relations between the two were expected to grow further.
“China-Africa cooperation has entered into a new stage, being all round, multi-dimensional and diversified,” Ambassador Lin said.
“China and Africa are both at the crucial stage of economic and social transformation.”
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Chris Mutsvangwa also dismissed as false contentions that China was targeting to colonise Africa. Ambassador Mutsvangwa said the continent, having gone through gruelling liberation struggles, would not allow itself to be re-colonised.
“Some people say China is there to colonise Africa. That is not true. If there are other countries that are thinking they are going to come back and colonise Africa, it is not going to happen,” he said.
Ambassador Mutsvangwa urged African countries to be vigilant and to guard against losing their natural resources.
“If you do not defend you resources, you will lose then,” he said. – New Ziana.
Online Reporter