Looking neither East, nor West

African countries must seek development paths suited to their own realities

China, the world’s largest developing country, and Africa, the continent with the largest number of developing countries, share similar development goals and tasks. In the second half of the 20th century, China and countries in Africa started exploring their own development paths. The economic development of the two sides was once at the same level, with African countries pulling ahead of China.

The reform and opening-up policy initiated by China in the late 1970s ushered in a period of rapid economic growth, whereas African countries were mired in turbulence caused by structural adjustment programs and their democratization processes. Now, as China has eliminated abject poverty and built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and is embarking on a uniquely Chinese path toward modernization, African nations still remain largely underdeveloped.

Statistics from the World Bank indicate that even in early 2021, there were more than 30 African countries with a poverty rate higher than 30 percent, and nine out 10 countries with the highest poverty rate in the world were in Africa. Therefore, it is fair to say that Africa is the last battleground in the global fight against poverty, the success of which will largely hinge on the continent’s development.

There are multiple reasons for Africa’s poverty. From the perspective of external factors, long-term colonization by European countries is the root cause. The Western countries’ control over and exploitation of Africa’s economy deprived the region of its economic independence. The “Africa’s Lost Decade” in the 1980s due to the implementation of structural adjustment programs under the guidance of neo-liberalism is a case in point.

Although there are many platforms for cooperation between Africa and Western countries, such as the US-Africa Leaders Summit, the Africa-France Summit and the Africa-EU Partnership, they have not brought muchneeded infrastructure and industrialization to Africa or effectively boosted Africa’s development. Also, the marginalization of Africa in the old world order exacerbated the continent’s poverty and underdevelopment, which in turn lowered Africa’s status and voice in global political and economic landscapes, thus creating a vicious circle.

Africa’s poverty also has its internal reasons. After gaining national independence, many African countries failed to diversify their resources-dependent economy. A large portion of profits from selling natural resources went to multinationals, and didn’t benefit African countries, leading to a “resource curse” that trapped Africa in poverty. The Westernstyle democracy established on poor economic foundations weakened the power of African governments. Long-term political turbulence, ethnic conflicts and border disputes have made it difficult for African countries to focus on economic development, and the region’s weak infrastructure, lack of talent and capital have also impeded Africa’s economic growth and integration process.

For a long time, African countries were unable to choose development paths suitable to their national conditions because of the influence of the colonial rule imposed on them. In the 1960s and 1970s, many African countries which had gained national independence began their process of state building. Some of them chose a socialist system to break the yoke of Western rule and to seek independent development. However, by adopting either the “Middle Way” or non-scientific socialism, these countries did not reap prosperity and growth; instead, they witnessed the emergence of new contradictions and problems, which hampered the development of the continent. African countries should neither “look to the West”, nor “look to the East”; instead, they must seek truth from facts while seeking a development path that fits their own realities.

The essence of Pan-Africanism is confidence, independence, and self-reliance, and what it pursues is solidarity, development and prosperity of Africa. Upholding the spirit of Pan-Africanism, the African Union which was founded in 2002, as a successor to the Organization of African Unity established in 1963, aspires to realize sovereign independence of African countries and African unity, and promote the independent development and integration of African countries. The AU’s 2063 Agenda, which has its roots in Pan-Africanism, aims to pursue the ideas of Pan-Africanism of building “an Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics”, which represents the patriotism in Africa. The spirit of Pan-Africanism is the same as the unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation. Enhancing communication between the spirit reflected in Chinese-style modernization and that of Pan-Africanism is not only relevant to the exchanges between the Chinese and African civilizations, but also provides a new solution for developing countries to alleviate poverty, achieve common development and win-win cooperation and offers a new paradigm for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Currently, the mutual learning between Chinese and African civilizations has entered the stage of idea exchange, which not only meets the aspirations of the two peoples, but also conforms to the trend of the times for the two sides to share their experience in fighting poverty, and modernization theory and practice. By blazing a unique path to modernization, China has declared the end of the era in which “the world must be shaped based on the Western model” and proved that “modernization means Westernization” is no longer the truth. It has also proved that developing nations can find an alternative to the Western path of modernization and explore their own ways to modernization. The Chinese path to modernization may offer some inspirations for Africa, which has an ancient civilization, an open mind that is willing to try new things, and a strong creativity, thus helping the continent find its own path to modernization.

SHI YU / CHINA DAILY