The Smiling Dragon and Willing Companion
I WAS one of the invited guests of His Excellency the Ambassador of China to South Africa, Lin Songtian and Madame Ni Lingling at the Chinese Embassy on 18 January 2020. The event was a celebration of the Chinese Spring Festival or, by another name, the Lunar New Year. For me, one of the telling statements the Chinese Ambassador made was that:
“I want to stress that no matter our colour is white, black or yellow, we are all important members of the big family of mankind and live together in a global world.”
That might just be a diplomatic statement. Or a politically correct statement to make. But if brought to life and made real, it can bring to realisation and fruition a much more liberated and truer world than the present. China, I think, has the responsibility to walk that talk and Africa has the duty to relate honestly and intelligently with a willing companion that has known how to fall and how to rise in a slippery world. It came from the considered mind and mouth of the esteemed Chinese diplomat that: “Only when we are open and friendly to each other, live in harmony, pursue win-win co-operation, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind, can we share a fair, just, democratic, peaceful and prosperous world.”
The hegemonic global media and mainstream world academy does not teach of a China with such grand aspirations. Hegemonic EuroAmerican propaganda and constructions, in the media and the academy, portrays a tyrannical and evil China just like it defines a backward and dark Africa. True China and true Africa must, against all propaganda, stand up in the world.
The present President of China, Xi Jinping has spelt out an International Relations agenda of a China that wants a win-win engagement with other countries, especially in the Global South. China is one country that knows the importance of winning because it has experienced the pain of losing. So China is neither an angel nor a demon but an agent of change in a difficult world. There is no easy choice about it, I think. China cannot afford crass imperialism.
In 1999, China experienced a tragedy where during the war in Balkans, US missiles hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. Most Chinese understood the tragedy as an intentional attack and threat even as the Americans claimed it was accidental. China has also never forgiven or forgotten its loss of Taiwan in 1895 after the defeat by Japan. The agenda and dream of one united China is China’s own struggle for liberation. So, after all, China has Chinese reasons for aspiring for a peaceful and prosperous world. China has been punished by the Euro-American World System and must, decolonially, work for a world that is not run through the paradigm of punishment. China has reasons and an opportunity to be decolonial and liberating.
China, through its experience of a rough World System and its tumultuous Orders, can teach the developing world the importance of being honest and earnest. That is besides the renowned Chinese zero-tolerance for corruption and theft of public funds by politicians and leaders. Mao’s successor, Deng Xiaoping, in 1978, opened China to the world. He had the Chinese media broadcast and publicise the USA and its prosperity to the masses of China. Instead of shaming China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) it worked to inspire the people and increase the credibility and legitimacy of the CCP. China became true to itself and honest with itself first. And that is and important lesson for developing countries that must know the importance of being true to reality as a starting point to true success.
To lie to others and to the self, for individuals and political regimes, is the biggest and the deadliest form of lies and sure death.
The Chinese
C ommu n i s t
P a r t y t r ans formed itself before it transformed
Ch ina .
Mah b u b a n i notes that the progress of
China and “credit for this change is owed to the
CCP, which by reinventing itself has retained its political legitimacy, an important fragile commodity.” The greatest property and possession of any economic and political establishment is the support of the common people that gives legitimacy and credibility. China has earned the support and endorsement of the common people of
China and so can
China win the friendship of the world.
Wha t
Kwame
N k r uma h called the
“Tr i p l e
Heritage” is the opportunity for Africa to inherit the strengths of its past, of the eastern world and the western world, and to lose the weaknesses of all the three civilisations, itself included. Decolonising and liberating Africa involves throwing away some African foibles that hinder liberation. China’s projection of itself as the smiling Dragon and willing companion provides Africa with an opportunity to inherit the strengths of China’s own journey in the World System, its fall and rise, and survivalism. Africa’s own weaknesses, those of the East and the West must be lost. It is post-political nonsense for Africa to look for Angels from the East or from the South, West and North. The liberating idea is to harvest strengths and benefits from everywhere and lose the weaknesses and evils from all over. In its present political and economic posture, China provides an opportunity for Africa to benefit from a smiling dragon that has scars and bears aspirations for a diverse world.