By CHARLES ONUNAIJU

THE “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” otherwise well known as the “Belt Road Initiative” was designed and is taking shape now as a trans-regional cooperation model connecting Asia, Africa and Europe’s policies, trade, facilities, funds and people in the 21stcentury. According to the document, “Vision and Actions on Jointly Building, The Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, co-released by China’s National Development and Reform Commission,  Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce in 2015, “Joint Construction of the Belt and Road is aimed at promoting orderly and free flow of economic factors. Its efficient allocation of resources and in-depth integration of markets, give impetus to the coordination of economic policies of countries along the route, carry out more in-depth regional co-operation with greater coverage and work together to an economic co-operation framework that is open, inclusive, balanced, and beneficial for all countries involved.”

The “Belt and Road Initiative”, a China-driven framework of international cooperation has already amassed huge international goodwill, with over 100 countries signing on to it.

Originally, the coast of East Africa, the scene where over 500 years ago, the Chinese famous sailor, Zheng He traveled to inaugurate the historical precursor to contemporary China-Africa co-operation and friendship were the only part of Africa covered in the traditional Maritime Silk Road.

However, in the new, up and running framework of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, the whole of Africa, is well within the open and inclusive process. The critical challenge of infrastructure network to compliment the long held aspiration for a united and Integrated Africa has found a practical and powerful impetus in the China-driven international co-operating framework. Free of grand institutional behemoth like separate secretariat and formal bureaucracy “the Belt and Road Initiative”, would be anchored on existing regional and international mechanisms, a far cry from building another global or regional bureaucracy.

Already in Africa, China is engaged in the construction of the physical structural framework for integration. The port of Mombasa in Kenya has reached advanced stage of completion and the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway line, that would connect I Uganda, South Sudan and through to Rwanda is up and running. The long-drawn East African economic integration that would boost the sub-region’s economies of scale would gain practical momentum with the trans-regional rail lines.

Ethiopia, a growing industrial hub, initially hobbled by a deficit of port access, is now connected through Africa’s first modern electrified railway to the port of Djibouti. The Tanzania-Zambia railway built in the 1970s with China’s assistance as enduring monument to China-Africa friendship is due for rehabilitation, with China, Zambia and Tanzania working in co-operation.

Through a comprehensive reform of the management system, effectively linking the railway to ports, and building an industrial economic belt along the railway, it is hoped that 1,860 km railway line will gain fresh vigor and help Tanzania, Zambia and other African countries to boost independent, inclusive and sustainable development.

Related News

Africa’s key and its largest economy Nigeria, is on the cusp of infrastructure revolution, as China deepens her engagement in that vital and value creating chain. The Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge railway is up and running and at the ceremony to launch the Lagos-Ibadan rail line, that would connect the northern commercial hub of Kano, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo called China, Nigeria’s most reliable friend. The production and industrial capacity co-operation with Nigeria is up and running.

The Lagos Lekki Free economic Zone, an incubating hub of Nigeria’s re-industrialization effort is receiving massive boost from comprehensive China’s participation. At a recent seminar, at the Lekki Free Zone, in Lagos, on Nigeria-China Forum on production capacity and investment co-operation, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Zhou Pingjian said that “As the world’s largest manufacturing country and second largest economy, China sincerely hopes to share its experience with Nigeria and stand ready to provide capital, technology and personnel in support of Nigeria’s industrialization and supports the relocation of labour-intensive industries to Nigeria on a priority basis and the localization of Chinese companies to create more non-agricultural jobs, especially those suited to young people”.

Already China has expended over 50% of the 60 billion U.S dollar given to fund projects,  in the ten co-operation plans outlined by President Xi Jinping at the 2nd Summit of the Heads of state and government of the Forum on China-Africa co-operation (FOCAC) held at Johannesburg in 2015.

The profoundly good news is that the process of China-Africa deepening engagement on the decisive infrastructure challenge of the continent would receive massive boost and will be further mainstreamed in the framework of the China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”.

The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China is both an all-round opening-up strategy and international plan and public good under the principle of “wide consultation, joint contributions and shared benefits”, aimed at establishing a community of common destiny. Despite the fact, that China’s GDP accounts for more than 13% of the world total, which is less than 30% historic peak, the country does have a 33% share in the global big three pillars-the three military pillars of “China-Russia-US,” and the three economic pillars of “China-Europe-US”.

With the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has led the establishment of Asia investment and infrastructure Bank (AIIB) for which more than 60 countries including OECD members of rich industrialized countries have signed on. The “Belt and Road” fund is also up and running and disbursing fund for projects earmarked in the process.

Africa’s funding deficit could be considerably ameliorated if the region’s governments strategically engage with the global public goods, generously offered by the “Belt and Road Initiative”. Importantly, the “Belt and Road Initiative” as an open and inclusive process driven by wide consultations, joint contributions and shared benefits, do not have the geo-political trappings of the type of the U.S Marshall plan through which the United States helped the post world war II Europe to reconstruct and recover, but locked them into U.S strategic national security interest, a burden which fuels the current debate about the future of the Atlantic alliance.

Onunaiju is the Director, Centre for China Studies, CCS, Abuja