China-Africa relations continue to receive attention as the continent finds more investors and development partnerships from the East.
SABC News is launching its new offering – African Perspective – a show that will air on Wednesdays at 9:30 pm on Channel 404 from the 3rd October and this is the first topic that the show will look at.
Dubbed the world’s factory, China has been positioning itself for years with 1.3 billion people, it’s the most populous country in the world and it is using that to its advantage.
Some see China as an alternative to the colonisers of the West. China says its focus in Africa is to improve basic living standards, ensure independent development and linkages between development strategies.
However Professor Patrick Lumumba has recommended cautious optimism.
At the last Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing, African countries came out with a commitment of 60 billion US dollars in investment.
Since FOCAC was launched in 2000, China-Africa trade has grown 17 times and China investment grew 100 times.
This significant role in economics gives China a hand in political stability as South Africa takes her seat again at the UN Security Council the country’s voice will now be heard on relationships between China and other superpowers.
It is now up to the continent to ensure that that relationship is beneficial to ordinary Africans.
Watch African Perspective on SABC News Channel 404 at 9:30 pm this Wednesday for an in-depth look at China-Africa relations.
