Africa's recognition that the Chinese economy is one of the
biggest in the world does not mean the continent's countries should
define themselves as recipients of charity, President Thabo Mbeki
said on Friday.
Writing in his weekly newsletter on the ANC website on Friday,
Mbeki attributed the growing relations between China and Africa to
China's booming economy.
The South African president made the statement shortly after his
recent visit to China for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in
Beijing, where leaders from China and 48 African countries mapped
out strategic plan to enhance the continent's bilateral relations
with that country.
"The World Bank says that the Chinese economy is the 4th biggest
in the World, with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 12th positions
occupied by the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom
and India," Mbeki said.
"This emphasizes the need for us as Africans to correctly
respond to the realities of the world economy, but without defining
ourselves as helpless and pitiful victims of globalization, whom
the rest of the world must treat as mere recipients of charity,
described as humanitarian assistance," he added.
He said while China's growth means that it has to export some of
its goods to Africa, it also means the country will have to import
its raw materials, including oil and gas, from Africa.
"To pay for the import of all these products from Africa and
others from the rest of the world, China will have to sustain its
export drive," he said.
However, some critics were skeptical of the close ties, arguing
China could have selfish motives, and might only be interested in
expanding markets.
South Africa recently imposed restrictions on the import of
certain categories of Chinese textile products after trade unions
blamed textile factory closures and massive job losses on cheap
Chinese imports.
"There are some in the world who fear this message of hope and
the possibility it presents to define the process of globalization
in a manner that benefits the poor of the world," Mbeki wrote.
"They see the developments exemplified by the China-Africa
Partnership as a threat to their selfish interests."
Taking a swipe at both domestic and international critics of the
China-Africa Partnership, Mbeki accused them of seeing evil in
everything good.
"Each of these... within the context of their circumstances,
will, with regard to the China-Africa Partnership, do everything
possible to project what is manifestly good as inherently evil, so
that we, who have dire need of 'close friends, reliable partners
and good brothers' become frightened of those who come to us
genuinely extending a hand of friendship, partnership, brotherhood
and sisterhood," he said.
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(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2006)
