Africa and China need each other to grow
- By Zhao Minghao
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E-mail Global Times, March 15, 2016
Nonetheless, Africa is far from a prosperous and stable continent. It still faces daunting challenges in development and peace issues. Currently, there are over 50 cities with a million or more residents, but basic infrastructure such as transportation, electricity and networks cannot meet the demands of the African middle classes. Perhaps this continent has underestimated the difficulties associated with urbanization. Extreme poverty is still prominent.
What's most worrying is the youth bulge in Africa. The desperation of the young people is a time bomb. It is estimated that the population will double by 2050, mostly youngsters. Many governments face the challenge of creating job opportunities for them, as the number of newly added potential employees annually can be 11 million.
The ever deepening chaos and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa also sounds alarm to this continent. Many lives are lost when people try to cross to Europe, and there is also climate-driven migration.
The conflict in the region is deep-rooted. Boko Haram, which has strengthened ties with the Islamic State, is expanding, and its threat has gone beyond Nigeria. In eastern Africa, the militant group Al-Shabab based in Somalia recruits many members from Kenya and launches attacks to shopping malls and schools.
The home-grown jihadist terrorism is a problem that the entire continent needs to face and is harder to cope with than Ebola. A 2015 report by the International Crisis Group said the Sahel area was "a perfect storm of actual and potential instability," and "borders are porous, government reach limited. Populations and unemployment are soaring."
Africa needs investment and assistance from China to realize readjustment of the economic structure, satisfy its need for basic infrastructure and promote more balanced development. Under the "new normal," China's demand for raw materials is declining, while China is becoming a capital exporter.
Africa is used to benefiting from China's speedy development, but now it needs to think how to seek new opportunities from China's economic transformation. For China, it should enhance its ability to more deeply engage with Africa, which will deepen its understanding of this continent, including its ambitions and problems.
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