China is today the single biggest trading partner with African countries. Geographically, China might be smaller that Africa, Europe or North America. But in terms of population, it’s the most populous nation of 1.3billion people almost the same population as the African continent. So in a way China is by its own right a continent.

Now African countries want to trade more with each other on the continent, and questions have been asked; will this hurt or benefit big trading partners like China?

Chinese officials have publically said that, China is wholly supportive of the AfCFTA, seeing it as a ‘win-win’ solution and arguing that free trade and multilateralism are key foundations to the global system. In November 2020, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi assured African that his government will provide cash assistance and capacity-building training to AfCFTA secretariat.”

The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area of a single market for goods and services of almost 1.3 billion people across Africa that enables deepening economic integration of Africa. It was established in 2018 by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

The trade area could have a combined gross domestic product of around $3.4 trillion, but achieving its full potential depends on significant policy reforms and trade facilitation measures across African signatory nations.Th world bank report 2020, estimated that by 2035, real income gains from full implementation of the agreement could be 7 percent, or nearly $450bn.

The AfCFTA aims to reduce tariffs among members and covers policy areas such as trade facilitation and services, as well as regulatory measures such as sanitary standards and technical barriers to trade.

Rwanda was selected   among countries to kick start trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework in a pilot phase that also involves six other countries, namely; Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius and Tanzania.

Recently, RwandAir, put in place a preferential freight tariff for Rwanda exporters under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA, according to media reports. The promotional offer gives Rwanda exporters a low pay of $1.4 per Kilogramme is aimed to motivate the business community to leverage AfCFTA- one of the 13 flagship projects of Agenda 2063 in Africa. It should be noted that in August, 2022 RwandAir had increased airfreight fee on a kilogramme of fresh produce from $1.8 to $2.

So the future of AfCFTA can only be looked at in the mirror of other regional integrations ambitions that came before it. Its liberalized trade regime will, hopefully; gradually lead to an integrated continental market with tariffs phased out on 97% of tariff lines within 10-13 year. This means we expect a fully-fledged AfCTA, between the year 2031 and 2034.

Africa’s traditional trading destination.

Africa export and import patterns have in past been dictated by their former colonial masters, religious and other western historical links. China is a new entrant in this mix and has no historical baggage in Africa.

So let us face the facts; it is not likely that Europe, major colonial powers and Christianity exporters to Africa, nor North America, a successor to European Influence in Africa are going to applaud ACFTA.  It is like children’s seesaw, one can only go up when one goes down and vice versa. The higher Africa goes up the lower the west goes down. On the other hand China and Africa, at least for the moment, don’t have to be on the seesaw.

What will be the linkage between the intra-Africa CFTA and China?

The focus on intra-African links is expected to involve China in two main areas: trade and the building of infrastructure to facilitate trade.

Infrastructure

AfCFTA is not going to be implemented by White color business people. The men in suits and neck ties, and the women in high heels, flying in Boeing and Airbuses.  It will only be successful through young men in jeans, truck suits and women in Kitenges. These will require adequate roads and railway.  Infrastructure; which will be necessary for the implementation the reduction; and latter total removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers.

The former colonial masters did not build these roads and railways for the purpose of intra African trade. They built a few and they are not about to do so today. Particularly, the western so called “democratic models”, will not facilitate that. Neither Democrats nor Republican will win votes by promising to build Infrastructure in Africa, the same goes for Europe political parties. On the other hand, china is already dealing with Africa on infrastructure development under the Forum for Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

China is already the highest investor in African infrastructure, and so Beijing is un-doubted going to play a key role in projects to set up transport corridors that will support African, intra African trade, and industrialization. This is already happening through “The Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) framework. Africans are not naïve, they don’t see China as a God sent messiah, China has its own interests, what we shall be looking for is a Win –Win partnership.

Potential for trade partnership instead of tensions

The AfCFTA is designed to boost trade amongst African partners. Skeptics argue that, this could be the very reason that is likely to cause friction between Africa and China under AfCFTA , which is the continent’s single-largest trading partner.

Some commentators have accused China’s role as the world’s factory, producing cheap products as being the cause that has stunted the development of African manufacturing and supply chains.

With AfCFTA, Africa will take into account the rules of origin. So contrary to prophets of doom, African will not import cheap “Chinese clothes” and make shirts and pants to export to the neighbours. Countries with vast unutilized land like Zambia, DRC and Tanzania, will grow cotton, or even invite Chinese, and other experts to make clothes for export under AfCFTA.  Countries that traditionally practice animal husbandry, like Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Senegal etc. will invite china to process the hides and skins to produce, leather and leather products. This is what will qualify for rules of origin.

For the AfCFTA to succeed we don’t need bureaucracies. We don’t need American Congress, European parliament, or British House of Commons, to act. We need a partner with whom once we come out of the negotiation room, and the deal has been agreed upon the implementation starts immediately.

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 China Today ,the former 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, and 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 in 2019. She has also more than 20 publications among them the United Nations Geneva 2019 report, Peking University 5000-mile reports 2020 and 2021 which were handed to high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Beijing, and her most recent SCI paper, “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development in Electronic Markets,” which received attention from many experts across the world and was posted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on its official website.

After immersing himself in his studies for several years, Tungamirai Eric Mupona, 23, a postgraduate student from Zimbabwe at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, finally had a chance to go to China’s countryside to find out answers to questions he had in his mind. 

Mupona is from a village in Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe. After graduating from high school at the age of 17, he came to China as an international student to study applied physics at the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology. After graduation, he went to Zhejiang University for postgraduate studies. He actively participated in social activities, hoping to gain an in-depth understanding of China, especially the development and changes in China’s rural areas. 

During his stay in China, he visited rural areas in Ningxia, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places to learn about China’s poverty alleviation experience with the aim to apply it to his hometown. 

“I have been going to the grassroots level after I came to China. I grew up in rural areas and have a very strong affection for the countryside. I hope to tell others what I have seen and heard in China when I return to my home country,” he told ChinAfrica.  

During his visits, Mupona experienced local Chinese culture, and witnessed rural revitalisation and functioning of grassroots governing organisations.  

Chinese model of ending poverty 

In August, when visiting Jinyun County in Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, Mupona was deeply impressed by ancient Heyang Village, the scattered remains of ancient dwellings of Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912), and the cultural heritage of Wuju Opera of Jinyun.  

“I saw that the traditional culture of the county was very well preserved. Its exploration of rural revitalisation and common prosperity is based on traditional culture,” Mupona said.  

The experience showed Mupona that developing cultural industry enables their culture to be better inherited and protected, and cultural heritage development also brings employment opportunities, revitalises rural economy, and enhances community identity. 

Last summer, Mupona and more than 10 young Africans came to Xingxian County, Shanxi Province to study poverty alleviation campaigns in this former national poverty-stricken county. During a week’s visit, he found that the local households had moved from earthen caves in the mountains to residential areas furnished with complete living facilities. 

Through the development of paper cutting, millet planting and other industries under the guidance of the government and village cadres, the income of the villagers had been continuously raised. 

“I was surprised to see that the first secretary of the village branch of the Communist Party of China knew every corner of the village and every family’s situation like the palm of his hand,” Mupona told ChinAfrica. In terms of grassroots governance, the local government always puts people’s interests first, which is a people-centred approach. Under this concept, as long as an action can help local people to improve their livelihood, they will not hesitate to do it, Mupona said. “I think it is worth learning, and it is not easy.” 

After visiting dozens of counties and villages, which have gone through the transition from poverty to revitalisation, Mupona learned that speedy, sustained and inclusive development is critical to reducing poverty. He believes that poverty reduction in Africa also requires the same kind of strong political commitment and will as China has demonstrated. 

“When Zimbabwe’s economy is unstable, people in rural areas are particularly affected. Therefore, we should put the issue of agriculture, rural areas and farmers at the top of the national development strategy, because that is the key,” he said.  

African kindness 

During his five-year stay in China so far, Mupona has also been passionate about volunteer activities.  

For people in Hangzhou, the young African is not a stranger. Wearing a reflective safety vest and speaking fluent Chinese, he is often seen helping to maintain traffic flow, or guiding tourists. For that, he has earned the nickname of Foreign Lei Feng, a reference to a People’s Liberation Army soldier who is widely regarded as a role model for altruism in China.  

In fact, when Mupona first arrived in Hangzhou in 2017, he found it difficult to fit into the new environment. As such, he decided to participate in volunteer activities to meet new people. He has since been involved in activities such as maintaining traffic flow at the West Lake scenic area, assisting passengers at the railway stations, and teaching senior Hangzhou residents English. 

“When I do social welfare work, I feel so satisfied and happy. To me, volunteering is multidimensional: Besides serving others, I also get a sense of belonging, and feel at home,” Mupona said. Also, through voluntary work, he has learned a lot about the local society and culture, and has had a platform to communicate and make friends with local people.  

Mupona has also established an international volunteer service group Abroad Path Leaders to help more international students to adapt to life in China. The online platform currently has volunteers from nearly 100 countries. 

“Many foreigners come to China and want to learn the local culture and language, but they are afraid to speak. Participating in volunteer activities can not only contribute to the city, but also give a chance to practice Chinese and show the culture of your country,” he said.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mupona stayed in China and actively participated in the management, service and coordination of the university’s international students during the epidemic. At the same time, he also published articles to refute some false claims on the Internet that slandered China’s fight against the epidemic, and shared China’s epidemic prevention stories on social media platforms.  

In May 2020, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) officially recognised and thanked a group of African volunteers who helped to fight the coronavirus in China. Mupona was one of the guests at the ceremony.  

Lin Songtian, president of the CPAFFC, described Mupona and other African volunteers as contributors and disseminators of China-Africa friendship and outstanding friendship messengers. He said he sees the future and hope of the China-Africa relationship from the goodwill actions of these young African people.