On January 29, South African Independence News published an article by Gideon Shitanga, an assistant researcher at the Center for African and American Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, entitled "Debunking Sinophobia, Myths and Stereotypes in Africa-China Relations". The full text is excerpted below:
Since China became Africa's largest partner, there have been numerous unfounded misinterpretations and negative portrayals surrounding the dynamic relationship between the resource-rich continent and China, a global emerging power.
Part of the myth stems from the seepage of vested interests into bilateral and multilateral policies that deliberately undermine the growing economic relationship between Africa and China, which is based on historical and political consensus. Other myths stem from Sinophobia and deep-seated racism. Therefore, it is necessary to flag Sinophobia and racial ideology in order to better understand which international relations are growing into important and dynamic relationships in a complex multilateral environment.
The arrogance of the West is deeply entrenched.
The overall picture painted by some Western scholars and policymakers is imbued with Sinophobia and racial negativity, fueling unfounded fears that China threatens Western hegemony, or democracy and the international order as most Western scholars claim.
The international order that Western scholars and ** refer to refers to the hegemony of the West in the world. This order is based on a coercive global political and economic framework dominated and maintained by the United States and its allies.
Sinophobic stereotypes and misunderstandings of Africa-China relations also reflect condescending racist attitudes toward African leaders and Africans at large, questioning the wisdom and competence of Africans in dealing with Chinese partners.
In many ways, China is portrayed as a predator who devours Africa's resources cheaply. This rhetoric mimics the racist narrative of history, portraying Africans as innocent, pitiful, and helpless objects – in relations with China, a big Western brother is needed to defend Africa and manage its interests.
It is clear that this Western arrogance and condescension towards Africa is deeply rooted in the West's initial political and cultural contact with the continent. This is the root cause of violent colonial occupation and exploitation, as well as the source of the invisible ** and control of the post-colonial era.
This approach is also representative of much of the West's economic intervention in Africa, particularly by the Bretton Woods institutions. The West forcibly promoted the "Washington Consensus" in the early 90s of the last century through failed structural adjustment projects. Experts from the Bretton Woods institutions played an important role in this. These experts were later found to be incompetent, underqualified, or did not have a proper understanding of the socio-historical context of Africa.
The "debt trap" is nonsense.
The most widespread Sinophobic myth about Africa-China relations is that Beijing is pursuing a new form of colonialism in Africa, characterized by plundering the continent's rich resources. Another idea associated with this stereotype is that China is planning and implementing so-called debt diplomacy to saddle African countries with debts that they cannot repay, so that Beijing can control Africa's strategic resources and allow them to use them to repay their debts.
This stereotype fuels the idea that China is frantically exploiting Africa's cheap resources, including but not limited to minerals, such as strategic minerals that drive new technologies. The "debt trap theory" claims that China is deliberately saddling African countries with politically and economically unsustainable debts in order to facilitate Beijing's undue influence on African countries.
The above claims are malicious and lack evidence.
Perhaps the biggest example of the fight against transnational corporations over environmental sustainability in Africa involves large Western corporations that have been mining mineral resources in Africa for more than a century. They extensively destroy the natural environment and ecosystems, without compensating local communities and restoring the natural environment.
China-Africa cooperation is equal and mutually beneficial.
There is no doubt that African leaders and people are actively engaging with China through inter-state institutions, multilateral platforms, and people-to-people exchanges and cultural diplomacy. More importantly, China-Africa relations have promoted the entry of the term "mutually beneficial cooperation" into the system of aspirations and policy values of international exchanges, making this term appear not only between China and Africa, but also pushing Western countries to increasingly use the term in their engagement with Africa.
African leaders are using bilateral (FOCAC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to negotiate terms that are in line with national development goals, seeking favorable economic investment terms for diversified projects such as infrastructure development projects and technology investment projects.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has become an important platform for dialogue and cooperation, facilitating consultations on economic development and cultural exchanges. More importantly, African leaders have played an important role in setting the agenda, contributing as equal partners in driving action programmes and outcomes.
In addition, while the initial phase of China-Africa cooperation focused on large-scale infrastructure projects, irreversible diversification is broadening the scope of cooperation. The common good prevails, improving people's well-being through job creation, transfer of skills and knowledge, and sharing technological advances.
Various initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, focus on infrastructure construction, which is expected to connect Africa, Europe, Asia and the world, make full use of the potential advantages of the free zone on the African continent, strengthen internal and external ties in Africa, and promote regional connectivity while promoting international economic and trade cooperation.
It is clear that stereotypes and narrative traps only tarnish the increasingly progressive cooperative actions between China and Africa, based on historical consensus and genuine friendship. (Compiled by Liu Ziyan).