At the 2024 Beijing Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in September last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that the overall characterisation of China-Africa relations be elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. “This declaration affirms, whether faced with pandemic or geopolitical shifts, Africa and China will still remain each other’s most trustworthy true partners,” said Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi, South Africa’s minister of public service and administration. “In this light, we must therefore recognise and celebrate soft power and capacity building as equally important components and realms where China has made remarkable contributions to Africa’s public service and educational spheres.”
Buthelezi made the remarks at a seminar on “Governance of China: Forging an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era” held in Pretoria on April 25.
The seminar, held by China International Communications Group (CICG) Centre for Europe and Africa, was attended by more than 50 participants, including government officials, professors and scholars, youth representatives, and journalists. Participants discussed topics like cooperation and exchanges in the area of governance, strengthening of China-Africa cooperation, youth exchanges and people-to-people exchanges. They believe that exchanges and cooperation in governance between China and African countries can help to promote development and transition of African countries. They applauded the fact that President Xi has put forward a series of public goods like the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilisation Initiative, which serve as important cooperation platforms for the Global South countries.
Upholding “people first” governance philosophy
According Buthelezi, the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China shows President Xi’s great leadership capacity. Such leadership continues to inspire transformation on the African continent. “We see this through thousands of South African students going to study in China and returning home to strengthen our public institutions. We see this in the training of African professionals and officials in governance, administration and technical innovation,” he said.
These are some of the human bridges that connect the two nations beyond trade figures and memoranda of understanding. At the heart of this engagement is a vision for “people-first” governance, as reflected in Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.
From offering scholarships and technical training to hosting leadership programmes and knowledge exchange, China has provided platforms that empower the youth and professionals in thinking globally and acting locally, he noted.
According to him, the book offers a compelling account of the philosophy behind China’s transformation from poverty to prosperity. It presents a model of leadership that is disciplined, that is strategic, and visibly people-centred. “It also speaks to the value of long-term planning, accountability, and service-driven governance, which are the principles that we in South Africa’s public administration strive to uphold,” he stressed.
China’s effective governance yields fruits. In 2020, China eradicated absolute poverty, which is an achievement that stands as both a milestone and a master class for developing nations.
“As South Africa continues to fight against poverty, inequality, and unemployment, we are encouraged to explore how Chinese governance innovations can be thoughtfully adopted within our context. We are eager to learn how vision and leadership, long-term planning, and discipline can be translated into practical policies that uplift communities while creating lasting transformation,” said Buthelezi.
Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, former South African ambassador to China, echoed the view. He noted that the seminar took place during the autumn season of harvest in South Africa to “reap what we planted last spring in Beijing during the successful second state visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa to China, and the FOCAC Beijing Summit hosted by President Xi in Beijing.”
The two leaders always characterise the bilateral relations as “comrades and friends” that are rooted in political trust and mutual benefit. The last state visit also upgraded China-South Africa relations from Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to an All-Round Strategic Cooperative Partnership in a New Era.
“President Ramaphosa highlighted that this will elevate our mutually beneficial political and economic ties for the benefit of both of our countries and people,” he said.
Under the leadership of President Xi, China has realized its goal of eradicating absolute poverty throughout the whole nation, which is a result of “people-first” governance philosophy. China has offered to share with South Africa its experience in poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation, and pledged to support South Africa’s coordinated urban and rural development.
According to him, China has embarked on the path to build a great modern socialist country in all respects and pursue national rejuvenation through Chinese style of modernisation. On the other hand, Africa is also making progress in its modernisation through the programme Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
This seminar took place against the backdrop of a growing South Africa-China relationship, characterised by strong political trust, deep friendship, solidarity, and mutual trust, said Gert Grobler, former South African ambassador to Japan, Spain and Madagascar and senior research fellow at the Institute for African Studies at the Zhejiang Normal University.
After Xi Jinping: The Governance of China English version was published in 2022, it was well received by the world. “The book provided an invaluable window for the rest of the world to understand and appreciate Chinese society and its role in global development and transformation, especially its ‘people-centred’ governance philosophy,” he said.
It is particularly important for developing countries, whose collective desire is to lift their population out of poverty and achieve sustainable development, and emerging economies, especially in Africa, to learn how to advance national development that is people-centred, inclusive, just, equitable, and globally envisioned.
Promoting youth exchanges
In the book, Xi reiterates the importance of youth exchanges on several occasions. According to Grobler, Africa and China are committed to building leaders for tomorrow. Young, talented people, both in Africa and China, are the custodians of the future of South Africa’s, as well as Africa’s, relationship with China.
“And they will be the foundation for building, consolidating, and promoting the China-Africa friendship. There’s also strong support for women, such as the programme called Support for Talent Development and Empowerment of Women and Youth in Africa in the FOCAC Beijing Action Plan,” he said.
Africa has the youngest population in the world. There are more than 400 million young people aged between 15 and 35 on the continent. Such a youthful population calls for an increase of investment in economic and social development factors in order to improve the development of African nations.
“Our future youth leaders must be encouraged to continue to accept and to shoulder more responsibilities than before, integrate theory with practice, and remain fully devoted to seeking development for their countries, rejuvenation for their nations, and happiness for the people,” said Grobler.
Grobler’s views were echoed by Gujubo Belachew, minster counsellor at the Ethiopian Embassy in South Africa. He noted that the global trade is not inclusive, with rising trade protectionism and unilateralism in the Western world. “So, for this reason, traditional global order is, in one way or another, gasping,” he noted.
According to him, the Global South countries should not adopt a wait-and-see attitude, but should strengthen cooperation to defend their own interests.
He noted that the strength of the Africa-China relationship lies in the alignment of their visions. Because of the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, the Chinese vision basically aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Of the 15 flagship projects of the Agenda 2063, 60-70 percent have cooperation with China.
Xi Jinping: The Governance of China illustrates China’s development path and philosophy. Belachew said that African countries should also have clear development paths and philosophy.
Encouraging multilateral cooperation
Jan Grundling, executive deputy president of the Science, Engineering, Technology and Education Association of Southern Africa and China, noted that at the core of today’s global recalibration are competing paradigms. “President Xi’s vision of a community with a shared future is rooted in multilateralism, long-term strategic planning, and socio-economic upliftment. This vision is aligned with China’s historical aspirations and commitment to a unique socialist path.”
According to him, conversely, the world is facing rising unilateralism and protectionist policies from other big powers. The US is increasingly taking a unilateralist approach favouring America’s interests by levying tariffs, and is challenging the existing global structures. This ideological divide among big powers presents complexity, but also opportunities, particularly for emerging economies.
The South Africa-China relationship is a typical example of this new era. It is more than just about trade or diplomacy. It’s about forming ethical partnerships, learning from each other’s developmental journeys, and more importantly, cultivating leaders who can navigate the paradoxes of a multipolar model that is starting to emerge.
According to Gideon Chitanga, research fellow at the University of Johannesburg Centre for Africa-China Studies, national cohesion and stability are important for a country to develop, which can be seen in the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.
“Cohesion and stability are key. When you have social order, national cohesion and stability, you are in a better position to develop than when you have chaos and division, coupled with violent conflict,” he said.
African countries should also learn from China, he suggested, adding that irrespective of the political system, “we must have order, we must have stability, we must have some level of social cohesion that allows for modern economic engagement, the manipulation of new technologies, the creation of all kinds of productive forces … because if we are not producing, we cannot compete on the global market.”
Bongani Mayimele, director of international relations and partnerships at the National School of Government, noted that China’s success is often dubbed the “Chinese Miracle.” “But I believe that it is not merely a miracle but a result of Chinese wisdom spanning over 5,000 years of civilisation, visionary leadership, tenacity and endurance of the Chinese people,” he said.
According to him, China was once a poor country with very small GDP. The Chinese achievement in abolishing absolute poverty in 2020 and turning China into a moderately prosperous society in all respects, ushering the country into a new era of high-quality development, remains one of the greatest achievements in the whole world. This serves as a great source of inspiration and holds lessons for many countries throughout the world.
Promoting people-to-people exchanges
Ayanda Holo, president of BRICS TV Africa Channel, noted that President Xi Jinping reiterated to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, which also include media exchanges. Media exchanges should be further strengthened as the majority of reports on African affairs are made by Western media.
“Why do we let Chinese people learn about Africa through CNN or Reuters or any other media that are not friends?” asked Holo, adding some reports published by Western media are not true, and even misleading. “We are currently building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future, and we must fully utilise this opportunity to understand each other.”
Sizo Nkala, research fellow at the University of Johannesburg Centre for Africa-China Studies, said that at the FOCAC Beijing Summit, President Xi announced the 10 partnership actions for modernisation to deepen China-Africa cooperation and spearhead the Global South modernisation. During the process, people-to-people exchanges, especially among young people, will become the bridge between the two sides. China and Africa have identified advancing modernisation as an objective in their respective policy programmes articulated in China’s international cooperation policies and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Qin Xiaoshun, chairperson of the China-Africa Women and Youth Association, noted that in the fourth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, there is a chapter devoted to “the people first” governance philosophy. This indicates that the Communist Party of China has always put people’s needs on top of its agenda, especially during the process of rural revitalisation. In the past, most of the impoverished people in China lived in rural areas. After China decided to launch the targeted measures of poverty alleviation, numerous rural areas have been helped out of poverty. The China-Africa Women and Youth Association is committed to promoting China-Africa cooperation in poverty alleviation through people-to-people exchanges, youth empowerment and women empowerment, so as to improve the independent development calibre of people in rural areas in Africa.
Embracing development opportunities
During the discussion section, representatives from the African National Congress Youth League and South African Students Congress expressed their ideas on China-Africa cooperation, noting that President Xi’s governance philosophy can guarantee China’s high-quality development. President Xi is a supporter and contributor of the world development and civilisation dialogues, and the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilisation Initiative can guarantee the smooth implementation of China-Africa Cooperation.
In his closing remarks, Ni Yanshuo, chief reporter of the Africa Bureau of the CICG Centre for Europe and Africa, noted that Xi Jinping: The Governance of China provides a window for the outside world to better understand China and its rapid development in the past decades. It explains how China has developed from scratch to the world’s second-largest economy in more than 40 years. China has completely eradicated absolute poverty throughout the whole nation, an achievement not seen in any other country.
Under the strong leadership of President Xi, China has made a series of achievements. After the US launched trade wars, China adopted a series of measures to ensure its stable economic development. President Xi stressed that “trade wars will undermine the international trading system, the stability of the global economic order and the legitimate interests of all countries in the world, especially developing countries.”
Ni noted that China values cooperation with African countries and welcomes African products to enter China’s huge market. While the US is increasing tariffs on imports from other countries, China is reducing its tariffs and is opening its arms to embrace international cooperation. For example, China has given all the least developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines starting from 1 December last year, including 33 African countries. China is the world’s first major developing country and the first major economy to do so.
Local audiences applauded the hosting of the seminar. After attending the seminar, Gert Oosthuizen, former deputy minister of sport and recreation of South Africa, noted that the seminar was impressive and allowed South African people to better understand China’s development path and the importance of China-Africa cooperation. “China chose its development path according to its national conditions and has achieved remarkable progress,” he said.
