On May 21, a million doses of the pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine manufactured by the Chinese company Walfax were shipped to Morocco from Yunnan Province in southwest China.

In 2019, the vaccine was given marketing approval. It is China’s first 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination and the world’s second. It can be given to children as young as six weeks old to prevent infectious infections caused by the 13 pneumococci serotypes included in the vaccine.

​The Moroccan company “Marocvachs” imported this batch of vaccines, which contains one million doses. To protect millions of Moroccan children from life-threatening infections, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccination was included in the Expanded Program on Immunization. Marocfacs will purchase two million doses per year for the next five years under the distribution deal.

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​Author: Hanane Thamik is currently a Ph.D. scholar at the School of Information Management, Wuhan University, simultaneously a member of the Morocco-China Friendship Exchange Association, the author of CGTN Africa, Africa-China Review and the Canadian magazine ( Etats de splendeur ). She was chosen as Morocco’s youth representative for the Belt and Road initiative by the Moroccan embassy in China, the Arab youth participant in the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum 2020, the Ambassador of Wuhan City to the world by Changjiang Weekly Magazine, and the Moroccan Youth Representative 2020 (FOCAC, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs). She also won the awards of the Belt and Road Tourism ambassador 2019, the Outstanding African Student in China 2018, the Cultural Achievement Award by UNESCO, the Wuhan University Outstanding International Students award 2019 and 2021, the Maotai scholarship “Excellent academic performance and outstanding overall performance 2019 and 2021,” the outstanding individual among international students fighting novel coronavirus pneumonia 2020, the only Moroccan winner of the essay contest named “experience China -our anti-epidemic story” 2020 (China Scholarship Council), the Chinese Government Outstanding International Student in China 2020 ( China Scholarship Council ),  the winner of the 5th “My Beautiful Encounter with China” essay contest for international students in China, and recently the first prize of the competition of the 37th Chu Cai Composition Competition. She was one of the successful 54 young people worldwide who has been selected to participate in a training program organized by the United Nations in Switzerland 2019. She has also more than 20 publications among them the United Nations Geneva 2019 report and Peking University 5000-mile reports 2020 and 2021 which were handed to high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Beijing.

Gabriel Dodo Ndoke, Cameroon’s Minister of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development, and Zheng Zhenghao, General Manager of Sinosteel Cam S.A., signed a convention that enables the company to exploit the Lobe iron ore deposit located in the Southern part of Cameroon. The convention was signed during a ceremony that took place on Friday, May 6^th, at the Congress Hall in Cameroon’s capital city Yaoundé.

Sinosteel Cam S.A., the Cameroonian subsidiary of China’s Sinosteel Corporation Ltd, will inject more than 700 million dollars into the project, official Chinese media have reported. The company seeks to extract 10 million tons of ore per year at 33 percent iron and projects that the subsequent enrichment of that amount of ore will yield four million tons of high-grade iron at more than 60 percent iron. The total amount of reserves of the Lobe iron ore deposit is estimated at 632,8 million tons and the exploitation will span over a period of 50 years.

The project also entails developing an iron ore beneficiation plant, establishing a mineral terminal to sell the iron on the international market, building a 20-kilometers pipeline that will enable the transportation of iron ore to the terminal, and developing an energy production unit for the project, official Chinese media have reported.

Expected benefits for Cameroon’s economy

It is predicted that the Central African country will receive an estimate of 36 million US dollars as revenue from this project every year. The project should also result in the creation of 600 direct jobs and more than 1000 indirect jobs. In addition, it will also enable skills and technology transfer as well as the development of infrastructures in the area of the country in which it will be implemented. Moreover, this project is expected to boost Cameroon’s iron and steel industry.

As the rampage of insurgencies become the leading source of instability on the continent, Africa is correctly positioned to benefit enormously from the Global Security Initiative recently proposed by the Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Xi spoke about “Rising to challenges and building a bright future through co-operation” in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022.

The ceremony was held under the theme, “The World in Covid-19 and Beyond: Working Together for Global Development and Shared Future.”

This article delves into the main tenets of President Xi’s speech, particularly zeroing in on the Global Security Initiative, as an architecture that will help to bring about world peace and stability and look at how Africa as a continent and Zimbabwe in particular can benefit from the initiative.

What is President Xi proposing?

President Xi proposed the Global Security Initiative which provides important architectural and conceptual guidelines which can help enhance the world’s security governance systems and put security on top as a precondition for development.

President Xi said “security is a precondition for development” and it is for this reason, that he proposed the initiative.

“It is important that we stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, co-operative and sustainable security and work together to maintain world peace and security, stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries,” he said.

In Africa, there are a lot of challenges being faced by the continent, ranging from terrorism, ethnic wars, inept political leadership and insurgencies among many others.

Right now in Southern Africa, there is the burning issue of the terrorist insurgency in Mozambique which is threatening Zimbabwe and other countries in the region.

With the GSI in place, African countries that are directly affected by the political instability in neighbouring Mozambique can be able to work together to fight terrorism and bring peace and stability in the region.

“Stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reject the cold war mentality, oppose unilateralism and say not to group politics and bloc confrontation. Stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously,” President Xi.

“Uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture and oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others security.”

The Global Security Initiative also focused on coming up with rational alternative means of solving disputes between world countries while denouncing double standards by other world super powers.

“Stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises, reject double standards and oppose the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction,” he said.

“Stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains and work together on regional disputes and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity.”

A simple example can be drawn from the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine which has made it pretty clear that when there is instability in the world, it is impossible for development to manifest.

The US has been criticised for exhibiting double standards in how it has coerced other world powers to condemn Russia and impose destructive sanctions on the country yet it is one country that has been directly or indirectly involved in many separate military conflicts all over the world.

As much as the current instability in Europe between Russia and Ukraine did not affect Zimbabwe physically, but its ripple effects have been felt economically in the form of rising commodity prices, inflation and energy shortages.

The GSI by President Xi also called for the upholding and respect of sovereignty of individual countries and non-interference in internal affairs.

“Stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries,” said President Xi.

Tackling global governance challenges

President Xi equated the international community to an integrated unit, which when you remove a single part it is tantamount to causing a malfunction, adding that unilateralism and excessive pursuit of self-interest are ‘doomed to fail’.

“In today’s world, unilateralism and excessive pursuit of self-interest are doomed to fail, so are the practices of decoupling, supply disruption and maximum pressure,” he said. “So are attempts to forge ‘small circles’ or to stoke conflict and confrontation along ideological lines.

“Instead, we need to embrace a global governance philosophy that emphasises extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promote the common values of humanity and advocate exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.

“We need to uphold true multilateralism and firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law.

It is particularly important for major countries to lead by example in honouring equality, co-operation, good faith and the rule of law and act in a way befitting their status.”

Why Africa and Zimbabwe should support the Global Security Initiative

By having a well outlined global security architecture that is balanced, it will bring about stability and development co-operation for many countries on the African continent.

Political instability, terrorism, insurgencies and socio-political unity which are some of the main causes of conflict in Africa can be easily addressed by carefully applying the stipulations provided for by China’s Global Security Initiative.

The GSI proposed the upholding of sovereignty of individual nations and discouraging interference in internal matters.

Such a proposition is something that can benefit Zimbabwe in particular.

The country has been under illegal sanctions imposed by the West and the US has tried so much to sponsor regime change in the country as a way of trying to remove a democratically elected government.

The insurgency in neighbouring Mozambique threatens peace and stability in the region and with President Xi’s proposal through the Global Security Initiative, countries can be able to work collectively and combat terrorism which will bring peace in the region and the continent at large.

Author : Hanane Thamik