MOSES MATENGA IN JINHUA,
CHINA
China has resorted to looking into Africa for trade partnerships after the United States President Donald Trump’s administration introduced some “unfriendly” trade policies, a Professor in the Asian country has said.
Professor Tian Zhongchu said the loss of the United States market had made the Asian country look to Africa for trade.
This also comes as African leaders flocked to China last week for the Forum on ChinaAfrica relations where Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged more than $60 billion in investment for Africa in three years.
“While we lost the United China looks to Africa after US snub States market; we have new markets in Africa.
There is a saying that if one door closes, the other opens and when the Western doors (markets) close, eastern markets open,” he told a Zimbabwe media team.
China’s economy has grown significantly over the years due to massive reforms that brought a huge turnaround.
Another Professor, Zhang Genfu said China’s economic growth was attributed to the policies implemented by the Communist Party of China over the years.
The Zimbabwean media team is in China to interact with their counterparts and to learn the Chinese socioeconomic culture.
Africa has become a huge market for Western and Eastern countries with United Kingdom’s Theresa Mayor recently visiting South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya where her country pledged opening up trade relations.
The Zimbabwean team leader, Munyaradzi Mutasa said the economic rise of China was inspiring and Zimbabwe will learn from their “friends from the east.
”. “Over the years, China has made huge strides, not only economically but in the media sector as well and we hope to learn from their achievements, “ he said.
“Recently our President (Mnangagwa) was part of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation where the People’s Republic of China pledged continued support to Africa through development aid,” Mutasa said.
In Africa, China is engaged in exchange programmes through education, that has seen thousands of African students benefitting.
Of the leaders who were part of the Forum on China-Africa relations include Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, both leading Africa’s fastest growing economies.
Professor Genfu said the Chinese developmental concept was inspired by the Russians.
He added that while China was now the second biggest economy in the world it remained indebted to Russia.
