Experts, officials commend China's inclusive, win-win engagement in Africa

ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's growing engagement in Africa is inclusive and based on a win-win approach, aiming at promoting a shared future among the global community, experts and officials have said.

"China's growing engagement in Africa is positive because it is inclusive, not prescriptive. It respects the culture of the African context," Yonas Adaye, commissioner of the Ethiopian National Dialogue, a think tank, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Commending China's respect for the sovereignty of others, non-aggression and peaceful co-existence, Adaye said China is winning the world owing to its respect for others' culture, history and unique features.

"The beauty of Chinese foreign relations policy relies on non-interference, no naming and shaming, no stopping of aid to damage bilateral relations and no prescription of development -- these make China really unique in the world," he said.

The rise of China's foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa has promoted the continent's economic growth, said Tadele Alamneh, a PhD candidate in economics at Debre Markos University.

"Chinese investment in Africa is not biased toward resource-rich and institution-poor countries," said Alamneh, indicating that Ethiopia is a resource-poor country but is China's top FDI recipient in Africa.

According to the expert, Ethiopia's GDP grew at a rate of between 8 to 10.9 percent from 2003 to 2018, compared with an average of 4 percent from 1993 to 2003.

He said the period of high growth rates in Ethiopia was marked by an intensification of Ethiopia-China economic relations as bilateral trade between the two countries expanded rapidly.

He made the remarks during a recent forum held Thursday in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa under the theme "Prospects of China-Africa Cooperation: Youth Leaders Forum".

The one-day forum organized by the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) dwelt upon possible ways to boost China-Africa multidimensional relations as well as promote peace and development in Africa through increased participation of the youth in leadership positions.

Speaking about the significance of the forum, Ethiopian Minister of Women and Social Affairs Ergogie Tesfaye said the platform helps create competent young leaders in Africa and China.

"Having such a platform will help the youth both in Africa and China exchange their experiences and share knowledge and skills," Tesfaye told Xinhua.

Recalling the opening of Amharic language classes in China and Chinese language classes in Ethiopia, the minister said China and Africa should help their young people understand each other by exchanging cultures and opening more education and training centers for a common destiny.

"The Chinese government is supporting the youth in Ethiopia to study in China and that has helped bring the most wanted skills and technology here in Ethiopia and Africa," Tesfaye said.

The minister is optimistic that the implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative will help boost the existing trade, cultural and business-to-business relations between China and Africa.