China Africa Talk: Welcome back to China, Michael. Could you start by telling us a bit more about your trip? Where have you been and what you’ve been doing?

Michael Onjewu: Last year I was in Beijing for a seminar, but this year we are in China for the China-Africa Audiovisual Week, and the 7th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation. Ever since we arrived, we visited different cities. We visited a city where we saw the development of coffee production. Then yesterday we were at Yiwu city, where we’re taking round the Yiwu market, where we saw the business relationship that is going on between China and Africa. And after that, we proceeded to Beijing. The experience has been impressive. One thing that strikes me the most is that China has consistently developed from the last time I came to Beijing to this time. I can see some significant development. It goes to show that the Chinese government is gradually developing and it is progressing from stage to stage. I must commend the Chinese government for their gradual and careful developmental strides, and also believe we from Africa, we have a lot to learn from the Chinese in terms of strategic development, from the Global Governance Initiative to the Global Development Initiative. We can see that the Chinese rejuvenation is gradually progressing from stage to stage. I think is a positive development for we journalists from Africa to emulate.

China Africa Talk: This is your second visit to china. So what new changes or developments have stood out to you during this trip?

Michael Onjewu: Especially when we went to Yiwu, I observe that the scale of businesses as increasing from strength to strength. We saw lots of high rise buildings. People are very happy. You surely see that people have been lifted out of poverty. And I think for countries in Africa that are battling with issues like this, we must emulate from that level of development that the Chinese currently have.

China Africa Talk: This year marks the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. In your view, what more can Chinese and African media do to deepen mutual understanding and bring our peoples closer together?

Michael Onjewu: The role of the media cannot be overemphasized, because the media is the eye and the mirror that projects or portrays what countries do all over the world. The role of media is strategic in the sense that without proper media, there are negative stereotypes about countries. But with proper media cooperation, we can begin to tell the true stories about China-Africa relationship. Just like I mentioned earlier, China is Africa’s best friend, because the Chinese government over the years have supported Africa in terms of infrastructural development. That is why the trade relations between China and the continent of Africa as continue to increase day by day, thanks to the zero-tariff policy that was implemented by the Chinese president on May 1st. This policy has enhanced trade relations between China and Africa and also enhanced the exports of commodities from African markets into the Chinese market.

Specific like my country, for instance, the Chinese government has contributed significantly to the infrastructural development of Nigeria. 75 % of critical infrastructure in my country are either supported or sponsored by the Chinese government through the Export-Import Bank of China and to other financial institutions in China. For instance, the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, Nigeria, was supported and financed by the Chinese government. The port was also constructed by China Harbor. We have railway, for instance, the Abuja-Kaduna railway, the Lagos-Ibadan railway. They were all financed by the Chinese government. We have critical road infrastructure that are also financed and supported by the Chinese government.

In terms of people-to-people exchange, the Chinese government has also supported Nigerians, especially in the area of education, scholarships, and other exchanges. Without the media, it would be very difficult for people to know that this infrastructural project are supported or funded by the Chinese. That is why the role of the media is critical in portraying the positive relationship that exists between China and Nigeria.

For example, within the last 6 months, trade between China and Africa rose to over U.S.$207 billion, the highest in history. And thanks to the zero-tariff policy, the trade deficits, the trade imbalance between China and Africa will reduce, this is because African countries, African businessmen and women cannot export their commodities to the Chinese market without paying customs duty, without paying any charge. This will encourage them to scale up export from African market to the Chinese market. And I think is going to really help promote trade between both sides.

China Africa Talk: You mentioned China’s zero-tariff treatment for African countries. How do you think this policy could benefit Nigeria in particular? Are there specific sectors or products where you see the greatest opportunities?

Michael Onjewu: With this new policy, you see Nigerians not exporting finished products to the Chinese market. For example, we have sesame seed. Sesame seed is in abundance in Nigeria. With this zero-tariff measure, we expect to see more exports of sesame seed from the Nigerian market to the Chinese market. We have soya beans, ginger, coffee, and coco. These are essential agricultural produce that are bound in Nigeria that can be exported into the Chinese market.

And the multiply effects of this laudable initiative is that in the next 20 to 30 years, Nigeria is going to be a major industrial hub. With zero-tariff, manufacturers, Nigeria will ensure that the commodities meet up to the standard of the Chinese people and of the global economy. So this will encourage them to scale up their production, so that it meets global best standard. I must commend the Chinese government for this laudable initiative for considering the zero-tariff treatment, so that Africans can enjoy doing business or doing trade with the People’s Republic of China.

China Africa Talk: As a media professional, you have been documenting China-Africa cooperation firsthand. Could you tell us about some of the projects or stories you have worked on, and what you have learned from those experiences?

Michael Onjewu: These are very important persona in terms of projects. As a journalist, we’ve done lots of reports, lots of coverage on the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and China. As I mentioned earlier, most of the infrastructural projects in Nigeria are funded by the Chinese government. As a journalist, I did a lot of documentary articles. I was personally at the Lekki Deep Sea Port to look at the port and to appreciate the Chinese government for investing in the port.
Now there’s a road that links Abuja to Makurdi. Now that road is being constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company. That project is also financed by the Chinese government. I’ve done extensive research on that project. I’m going back home with all this experience gathered.

I tend to continue to write articles on why the relationship between China, Nigeria, China, Africa is the best. This is because both sides benefit. China helps Africa to develop. So as a journalist, as I go back home, I will continue my write up in promoting the positive relationship that exists between China, Africa, and China, and Nigeria.

China Africa Talk: Based on those firsthand experiences, what messages would you like to share with fellow journalists, including me, who are also covering China-Africa relations and contributing to this partnership?

Michael Onjewu: My advice to journalists is this: let us report the facts. The fact is that China and Africa, China and Nigeria share mutually beneficial relationship. The Chinese help us with funding for infrastructure. We also support the Chinese with critical essential commodities. Journalists must speak through to the issues. We must condemn stereotypes that the relationship is not mutual, just like the West wants us to believe.

As a journalist, if you want to be objective, come to China, visit the Chinese cities, visit the Chinese provinces, speak to the Chinese people. And you will know that the Chinese people are the best anywhere you can meet in the world. They are friendly; they are reliable; they are not discriminatory in nature. Chinese journalists should also come to Nigeria, come to Africa and also talk to the African people, talk to African journalists for them to give their perspectives on the relationship between both sides. It has been a positive relationship between China, Africa, and China and Nigeria. And as journalists, I think we’ll continue to propagate that positivity anywhere we go.

That was the message from Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, during his latest visit to China for the 7th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation.

For Bah, closer China-Africa media cooperation is about more than expanding coverage. It is about giving Africans greater capacity and confidence to tell their own stories.

He described China as “a shining example” of how a country can develop its own narrative and tell its story through different forms of media.

“We want this partnership to help us mutually,” he said, stressing that China and Africa can learn from each other while bringing their own perspectives more effectively into the global conversation.

Empowering a new generation of storytellers

At the heart of that effort are young people.

With social media transforming how stories are produced and consumed, Bah said young people are no longer waiting for traditional institutions to shape the future — they are already creating it themselves.

For governments, he believes the challenge is to provide them with the right environment to thrive: access to technology and equipment, education and training, as well as policies that encourage creativity while protecting users from abuse and manipulation.

Sierra Leone has been developing policies covering film, new media and information, with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence increasingly part of the conversation.

AI, Bah said, is already dramatically increasing the speed and scale of media production. But the same technology also brings risks, from misinformation and deepfakes to manipulated images, videos and other content.

Sierra Leone is therefore working on policies and guidelines governing AI and its ethical use, while Bah sees considerable room for cooperation with China in training, technology and regulation.

More importantly, he wants African countries to become participants in technological development rather than simply users of technologies developed elsewhere.

African languages and African realities, he noted, remain underrepresented in many AI systems.

“It is not just about for us to benefit from Chinese technology,” Bah said. “It is for us to be part of the process of creating AI models and technologies, so that these models can be responsive to our needs.”

From storytelling to trade and technology

Bah sees the expanding partnership extending well beyond media.

China’s zero-tariff treatment for African countries with diplomatic ties with China, he said, could open more opportunities for Sierra Leonean products to enter the Chinese market — from seafood, coffee and cocoa to palm products and traditional fabrics.

He also highlighted renewable energy, food processing, marine technology, infrastructure, telecommunications and AI as promising areas for future cooperation.

Media and the creative industries could become another important frontier.

Sierra Leone is seeking greater cooperation with China in broadcasting and film production, including equipment, professional training, exchange programs and co-productions.

For Bah, these different strands of cooperation ultimately come back to the same idea: giving people — particularly young people — the tools and opportunities to shape their own future and tell their own stories.

As he put it, Sierra Leone wants its young generation not only to consume the changing media landscape, but to “create new products, tell new exciting stories” and shape their own destinies.

What happens when Shaolin Kung Fu travels from China to Africa? In Zambia, it is doing much more than teaching young people martial arts.

For many people across Africa, Kung Fu is one of their first encounters with Chinese culture. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have been household names for generations, and Chinese visitors to the continent are sometimes greeted with playful Kung Fu moves.

But in Zambia, that fascination has gone beyond the screen.

Since 2021, the Zambia Cultural Center of Shaolin Temple has been giving young people an opportunity to experience Shaolin Kung Fu firsthand, alongside Chinese language, calligraphy, cooking and other aspects of Chinese culture. For some children, the center has also become a home and a place to receive an education.

We spoke with three Kung Fu masters and practitioners whose journeys reflect the increasingly two-way nature of China-Africa cultural exchanges: Yanchen from China, Yanming from Côte d’Ivoire and Hengshao from Zambia.

More than fighting

For Yanming, who spent years studying at Shaolin Temple in China before coming to Zambia, the most important lessons of Kung Fu have little to do with fighting.

Shaolin Kung Fu, he says, teaches people to work hard, respect their teachers, show gratitude and constantly strive to improve themselves.

The aim is therefore not simply to produce skilled martial artists.

“People want the children to come to learn Shaolin Kung Fu without being focused on the skill of fighting,” he said. Instead, the focus should be on “how to be a good citizen, how to be a good person and better person” and how to use those skills to help society.

That philosophy is particularly important for the center’s younger students. Some have come from vulnerable backgrounds, and the center provides accommodation and education alongside martial arts training. Students take lessons including English, mathematics and science, while also learning Chinese language and culture.

Yanming believes the combination can give young people discipline, confidence and a clearer sense of direction.

The one who didn’t give up

Hengshao knows that journey firsthand.

Before joining the center, the Zambian practitioner had already trained in martial arts. When the Shaolin center opened, he arrived with a group of more than 20 young adults eager to learn more about Kung Fu and Chinese culture.

The training was intense. One by one, the others dropped out.

Hengshao stayed.

“Kung Fu teaches me about life. You don’t have to give up,” he said. “If you want to start something, it’s very difficult to start. But the more you are working, the more you are improving yourself.”

His motivation now extends beyond his own training.

“I want to share with my African brothers and sisters so that even they can learn more about Chinese culture,” he said.

Today, the center has around 42 resident students. Hengshao hopes that African practitioners trained there can eventually pass their skills and knowledge to others across the continent.

From China to Africa — and Africa to China

The cultural exchange, however, does not travel in only one direction.

The center has built an audience on Chinese social media, where videos and livestreams give viewers thousands of kilometers away a glimpse of daily life in Zambia.

Yanming said Chinese viewers ask questions about what Zambians eat and how they live. Such interactions can challenge assumptions and give audiences in China a more immediate understanding of the country.

At the same time, the center has attracted visitors and content creators from Zambia and abroad. Some come to learn Kung Fu or meditation; others simply visit the grounds or create videos.

In this sense, the center has become a meeting point: Chinese masters are introducing Shaolin traditions to Africa, while their African students and colleagues are introducing Africa back to China.

A new generation of African Shaolin practitioners

The masters hope Zambia is only the beginning.

Yanchen envisions some of today’s children eventually becoming teachers themselves. As they grow older and develop their skills, they could take what they have learned to other African countries, helping establish new centers and introducing Shaolin culture to a wider audience.

Yanming shares that ambition. After spending years studying Shaolin culture in China, his dream was to bring what he had learned back to his home continent. Today, that dream is taking shape in Zambia.

Africa has everything it needs to become a global renewable energy powerhouse. It enjoys abundant sunshine, strong wind corridors, vast hydropower resources and some of the world’s richest geothermal reserves. Yet despite this immense potential, more than 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity.

So why does a continent so rich in energy resources continue to struggle with energy poverty?

That question was at the heart of the latest edition of China Africa Talk, where KTN anchor Dennis Aseto was joined by CGTN Africa’s Zawadi Mudibo and Douglas Okwatch to unpack Africa’s energy paradox.

The discussion began with a simple observation: Africa’s challenge is not a lack of resources, but a lack of investment. The guests pointed out that developing renewable energy requires significant upfront capital, while many African countries continue to face high borrowing costs due to perceptions of financial risk. As a result, projects that could transform communities often remain on the drawing board.

But financing is only part of the story.

The panel argued that outdated transmission networks, governance challenges and slow policy implementation continue to hold back the continent’s energy transition. Even where electricity generation increases, weak grids often prevent power from reaching the people who need it most. At the same time, they emphasized that Africa must tell its own story more effectively to counter perceptions that discourage investment.

Solar energy featured prominently in the conversation. With year-round sunshine across much of the continent, solar offers one of the fastest ways to expand electricity access, particularly in off-grid communities. However, the panel noted that installation costs remain too high for many households, highlighting the need for greater investment, local manufacturing, skills development and technology partnerships to make clean energy more affordable.

The discussion also focused on the human cost of energy poverty. For millions of families, limited access to electricity affects far more than lighting. It influences education, healthcare, cooking, employment and household budgets. When clean energy is unavailable, many communities are forced to rely on firewood, charcoal and kerosene—fuels that carry both environmental and health consequences.

Looking ahead, the guests agreed that no single solution will solve Africa’s energy challenge. Different countries possess different strengths—from geothermal resources in East Africa to hydropower and solar potential elsewhere—and each should build an energy mix suited to its own circumstances. At the same time, stronger regional cooperation, better financing mechanisms and greater investment in technical skills will be essential to unlocking the continent’s vast energy potential.

They also highlighted the importance of international partnerships. Cooperation with partners, including China, in areas such as renewable energy investment, technology and capacity building can help accelerate Africa’s transition toward cleaner, more reliable and more affordable energy.

China is increasingly winning the hearts of Africa’s young generation.

A recently released survey of African youth suggests China’s influence across the continent continues to grow.

According to the African Youth Survey 2026, published by the South Africa based Ichikowitz Family Foundation, 95 percent of young African who identify China as influential view that influence positively, the highest rating among all countries surveyed.

What makes China stand out as a trusted partner for African youth? How is the survey reflecting realities on the ground?

China Africa Talk speaks with Saxon Zvina, principal consultant at Skyworld Consultancy Services in Harare, Zimbabwe.

China Africa Talk: How do you interpret the findings of this latest survey?

Saxon Zvina: The findings are not surprising. Across Africa, young people increasingly judge international partners by the opportunities they create rather than by ideological narratives. China’s engagement has become closely associated with infrastructure development, vocational training, scholarships, digital technology, entrepreneurship and industrial investment. These are areas that directly influence employment opportunities and economic mobility, which matter most to young people.

From my observations in Zimbabwe, the survey broadly reflects realities on the ground. Many young Zimbabweans recognize China’s contribution to major infrastructure projects, including the expansion of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, the construction of the new Parliament building and the expansion of Hwange Power Station.

China’s contribution is not limited to large-scale projects. Chinese investment has also supported small businesses, agriculture and affordable technology. For many ordinary Africans, affordable smartphones, digital services and renewable energy products have made modern technology much more accessible. These are tangible improvements that people experience in their daily lives.

Perhaps most importantly, many Africans see China as a partner that focuses on development. Young people increasingly ask a simple question: Who is creating opportunities for us? That pragmatic approach explains why China’s image has continued to improve across much of the continent.

China Africa Talk: Zimbabwe was also included in this year’s African Youth Survey. Based on your own observations, do the findings accurately reflect public perceptions in Zimbabwe?

Saxon Zvina: Yes, I believe they do. Zimbabwe has experienced difficult economic periods, particularly after Western sanctions were imposed. During that time, China continued to engage with Zimbabwe through investment, infrastructure development and economic cooperation. Many Zimbabweans therefore associate China with practical support rather than political pressure.

Chinese investment has contributed to power generation, transport infrastructure, mining, education and rural development. Programs such as borehole drilling have improved access to clean water in drought-prone communities, while infrastructure projects have strengthened the country’s long-term development capacity.

Many Zimbabweans also appreciate China’s principle of non-interference. They feel China respects Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and allows the country to pursue its own development path without attaching political conditions to economic cooperation. That approach resonates with many Africans who value independence and believe every country should determine its own development model.

Overall, public perceptions are shaped less by political rhetoric than by visible improvements in people’s daily lives. When communities see new roads, better electricity supply, improved public facilities and expanding economic opportunities, they naturally associate those changes with the partners who helped make them possible.

China Africa Talk: Another recent survey released by the Pew Research Center found that people in many countries now view China more positively than the United States. You recently wrote a commentary titled Why Global Public Opinion Is Warming to China. What are the main arguments you made in that article?

Saxon Zvina: My central argument is that international influence today is increasingly earned through practical contributions rather than political messaging.

Countries are judged by what they deliver—investment, infrastructure, technology transfer, trade opportunities, healthcare cooperation and support during times of crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic offers an important example. China provided vaccines and medical supplies to many developing countries when they were urgently needed. Those actions left a lasting impression on many people around the world.

Infrastructure is another example. Across Africa, China has helped build roads, railways, airports, hospitals and power stations. These projects produce visible benefits that people experience directly. As a result, perceptions are increasingly shaped by practical outcomes rather than abstract political debates.

In my article, I wrote that modern global influence is earned not through discourse hegemony or coercive intervention, but through tangible investment, constructive engagement and the delivery of public goods. I believe China-Africa cooperation clearly demonstrates this principle.

China Africa Talk: What do you think the Pew findings ultimately tell us?

Saxon Zvina: I believe they show that the international system is becoming increasingly multipolar.

People today have access to far more information than in the past. Through social media and digital communication, they are able to compare different countries’ actions for themselves instead of relying solely on traditional media narratives.

As a result, countries are increasingly evaluated according to their performance and the benefits they bring to ordinary people. Development, investment, technology and practical cooperation matter more than political rhetoric.

That is why perceptions of China have become more positive in many parts of the world. Increasingly, people judge international partners by their actions rather than by their words.

China Africa Talk: In recent years, we’ve also seen cooperation expanding into areas such as digital technology, green development and artificial intelligence. From your perspective, how has that changed public perceptions?

Saxon Zvina: I think it has changed perceptions significantly.

For a long time, many people believed advanced technology could only come from developed Western countries. Today, that perception is changing. African countries increasingly recognize that innovation has multiple sources, and China has become one of the world’s leading technology powers.

For Africa, the most important issue is not simply importing technology, but working with partners that are willing to share knowledge and help build local capacity. China has demonstrated a willingness to cooperate in areas such as digital infrastructure, renewable energy and industrial development.

Equally important is the sense of mutual respect. Africans want partnerships based on equality rather than relationships where one side dictates to the other. When countries treat each other as equals, cooperation becomes much more productive.

China Africa Talk: China has introduced zero-tariff treatment for imports from African countries with diplomatic relations with China. How do you assess the significance of this policy?

Saxon Zvina: I believe it creates tremendous opportunities for Africa.

China’s market of more than 1.4 billion consumers offers enormous potential for African exports. Zimbabwe, for example, can expand exports of products such as blueberries, tobacco, horticultural products and processed agricultural goods.

Lower trade barriers make African products more competitive in the Chinese market. That can stimulate production, create jobs and encourage businesses to invest in higher-value industries.

Ultimately, greater market access helps African countries move beyond simply exporting raw materials and supports broader economic transformation.

China Africa Talk: Looking ahead, which sectors do you expect will attract more Chinese investment in Zimbabwe?

Saxon Zvina: I expect investment to increasingly focus on higher-value industries.

Critical minerals will remain important because they are essential for the global energy transition. However, I believe future cooperation will place greater emphasis on value addition rather than simply extracting raw materials.

Renewable energy is another promising area, including solar power, battery storage and electricity infrastructure.

Agriculture also has enormous potential. Mechanization, irrigation, agro-processing and modern farming technologies can significantly improve productivity while creating employment.

Manufacturing and industrial parks are equally important. Through technology transfer and industrial cooperation, Zimbabwe can strengthen its manufacturing capacity and create more skilled jobs.

Zimbabwe has already adopted policies that encourage local processing of minerals before export. I appreciate that China has shown respect for these development priorities and is willing to work with Zimbabwe to promote industrialization.

For me, that reflects the qualities of a genuine development partner—one that understands and supports a country’s long-term development goals instead of pursuing only short-term commercial interests.

China Africa Talk: You visited China for a short-term training program in May. What impressed you most during your visit?

Saxon Zvina: What impressed me most was how rapidly China continues to innovate.

I was particularly struck by the integration of digital technology into everyday life. Mobile payments, intelligent transportation systems, efficient public services and advanced logistics all demonstrated how technology can improve both productivity and quality of life.

China’s infrastructure also left a deep impression on me. The high-speed rail network, modern airports and well-planned cities reflect decades of consistent investment and long-term planning. Development projects are implemented within clear national strategies and carried through with continuity. I believe this is an important lesson for many developing countries.

Another pleasant surprise was China’s commitment to green development. The widespread use of electric vehicles, renewable energy and environmentally friendly urban planning exceeded my expectations.

Before visiting China, many of my impressions came from what I had seen in foreign media. Experiencing the country firsthand gave me a completely different perspective. I saw a modern, dynamic and highly innovative society that continues to pursue improvement rather than becoming satisfied with its achievements.

Perhaps what inspired me most was the Chinese attitude toward development. Despite China’s remarkable progress, many Chinese people still describe their country as “developing.” That humility reflects a mindset of continuous improvement, and I believe it is something worth learning from.

More exchanges between African and Chinese youth would help build greater mutual understanding and allow more Africans to experience today’s China firsthand.

China Africa Talk: China has achieved remarkable development under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. From your perspective, what lessons can developing countries learn from China’s governance experience?

Saxon Zvina: Every country must follow its own development path according to its history, culture and national circumstances.

That said, China’s experience offers many valuable lessons.

One of the most important is long-term strategic planning. The CPC has maintained consistent development priorities over many years, particularly in infrastructure, poverty reduction, education, technological innovation and industrialization.

China’s success in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty is unprecedented. It demonstrates what can be achieved through sustained investment, effective institutions and policy continuity.

Another lesson is the willingness to adapt. China continues to reform its education system and align training with the needs of new industries and technological development. That ensures graduates possess skills that match future economic demand.

Developing countries should not simply copy China’s model. Every nation has its own circumstances. However, principles such as long-term planning, investment in productive sectors, strengthening state capacity and adapting policies to local conditions are widely applicable.

I also hope to see more exchange programs between China and Africa, especially for young people. Future leaders should have opportunities to learn from each other’s development experiences while adapting those lessons to their own national realities.

China Africa Talk: Finally, how do you see China’s global role evolving in the years ahead?

Saxon Zvina: I expect China to play an even greater role in global development.

As the international system becomes increasingly multipolar, China will remain a major contributor to global economic growth and an important development partner for many countries.

Its influence will not depend solely on the size of its economy, but increasingly on its ability to provide practical solutions to shared global challenges, including climate change, digital transformation, public health, food security and sustainable development.

Ultimately, China’s future influence will be shaped by its continued engagement with international partners and its contribution to building a more stable, inclusive and cooperative international order.

Development is not a one-size-fits-all process. Every country follows its own path. What matters most is working together, respecting different national conditions and helping one another achieve sustainable development.

That is exactly what happened with “Chambishi Copper Mine.” Originally created to celebrate the history of Zambia’s Chambishi Copper Mine, the song has become an online sensation in China while resonating deeply with workers in Zambia. What began as a company project has evolved into something much bigger: a story about resilience, friendship, and the people behind one of China’s earliest mining investments in Africa.

More than just a mining song

The inspiration came from an unlikely source, the mine’s own history.

Xu Laixiang, deputy CEO of NFC Africa Mining, wrote the lyrics and composed the music with the help of AI tools. He said the idea emerged while preparing for the launch of a tunnel boring machine earlier this year. Looking back at Chambishi’s history, he realized the mine’s journey could not be fully captured through production figures or annual reports.

Discovered in 1899, Chambishi experienced decades of ups and downs before closing in 1986. It remained idle for 13 years until China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group (CNMC) revived operations in 1998, with production resuming in 2003 and expanding further in the following years. The song, he says, is about “labor, hope and rebirth”—a tribute to workers who never gave up.
Its lyrics paint vivid images of red dirt roads, worn work boots, deep underground tunnels and calloused hands—not symbols of hardship alone, but of determination and renewal.

Why it resonated

For many listeners, the song’s appeal lies in its authenticity.

Mofya Bangwe, a legal officer at NFC Africa Mining, recalls hearing it for the first time during the launch ceremony.

“It tells a story within itself,” he said. “Not just about mining, but about how miners evolved together with the community.”

Many employees joked that it sounded like a World Cup anthem, while others were surprised to learn it had been produced by their own colleagues rather than a professional music group. The energetic rhythm and emotional message quickly made it popular among workers in Zambia as well as audiences in China.

Perhaps its biggest achievement is that it transforms a mining operation into a human story.

A mine that changed alongside its community

Chambishi’s transformation extends well beyond mineral production.

According to Bangwe, the mine has become one of Zambia’s most technologically advanced mining operations while also creating employment and skills training opportunities for local workers. Employees receive exposure to technologies they may never have encountered before, gaining experience that benefits their long-term careers.

Community development has also become part of the story.

As mining expanded, the company relocated affected residents by building 90 new homes, along with schools, churches, a clinic and a police station. When residents later raised concerns about water shortages affecting schoolchildren, the company installed pumping equipment to improve daily water access.

These stories rarely appear in production statistics, yet they help explain why the song has struck such a chord.

The mine with its own band

One of the most remarkable details is that the performers are not professional musicians.

The band’s members include electricians, drivers, underground miners and housekeeping staff. Formed in 2015, it may be the only mining company band of its kind in Zambia.

For management, the band represents something larger than entertainment.

It serves as a platform where employees can showcase talents beyond their daily jobs, strengthening company culture and giving colleagues from different departments a shared sense of identity. As Xu Laixiang explained, the goal was simple: “build a platform for people to show their talent” while bringing employees together.

Chinese investment in Zambia.

Bangwe noted that companies operating in the Zambia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone have created tens of thousands of jobs while providing technical training and opportunities for both skilled professionals and vocational workers.

Looking ahead, Xu hopes Chambishi will continue serving as “a bridge between China and Zambia” while advancing technology, improving environmental protection, strengthening worker safety and training local talent as Zambia seeks to expand its copper production.

By Saxon Zvina

Latest Pew Research Center data confirms a defining shift in global public sentiment: across most regions, favourable views of China now surpass those of the United States. This shift is not a product of propaganda, but a tangible outcome of competing development models, practical delivery records and divergent governance philosophies. For Africa and the broader Global South, ideological rhetoric has long given way to on-the-ground development experience, which has become the primary benchmark for judging major global partners.

Contrasting Development Delivery: Tangible Progress Versus Geopolitical Instrumentalism

Over the past decade, China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Global Development Initiative have addressed critical infrastructure gaps across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Flagship projects including the China-Laos Railway, Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, Nigeria’s Lagos-Ibadan Railway and the Lekki Deep Sea Port have reshaped the development landscape of emerging economies. These deliverable, long-term investments have solidified China’s reputation as a pragmatic, consistent development partner, standing in sharp contrast to abstract value-oriented advocacy.

Bilateral trade dynamics further reinforce this perception. As Africa’s largest trading partner, China has steadily expanded market access and preferential tariff arrangements for developing economies. These policies help Southern nations diversify their industrial structures, create local employment and broaden export channels, delivering concrete economic dividends for grassroots development.

In stark contrast, U.S. global credibility has been persistently undermined by decades of military intervention and politicised trade practices. Military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya left prolonged instability and developmental losses across the Global South, fostering widespread caution toward external interventionism. In trade governance, successive U.S. tariff barriers targeting both rivals and traditional allies have turned economic cooperation into a geopolitical tool, pushing many developing countries to pursue diversified diplomatic and economic partnerships to reduce strategic dependency.

Inclusive Tech Cooperation Against Western Technological Exclusivity

Technology cooperation has become another decisive dimension shaping global attitudes. Chinese enterprises have scaled accessible, cost-effective telecommunications infrastructure, renewable energy equipment, smart devices and digital public facilities throughout the developing world. By lowering the technical and financial thresholds for modernisation, China’s inclusive tech output has effectively supported grassroots livelihood improvement and industrial upgrading.

This model differs fundamentally from the technological monopoly and restrictive barrier strategies adopted by most Western economies. Rather than locking developing countries into subordinate technological positions, China’s technology cooperation prioritises practical applicability, local adaptability and mutual benefit, offering emerging economies an alternative path for independent digital and industrial development.

Sovereignty-Centered Cooperation: The Core Divide in Global Partnership Logic

The most fundamental divergence between China and Western nations lies in their respective approaches to state sovereignty and international cooperation. China consistently upholds the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, prioritises pragmatic economic collaboration and rejects political conditionalities. This approach fully resonates with Africa and the Global South’s core pursuit of sovereign independence and autonomous development.

By comparison, the United States and other Western states routinely attach governance, democracy and human rights preconditions to international partnerships. While framed as universal value promotion, such conditionalities essentially serve geopolitical interests by imposing institutional homogenisation and interfering in domestic governance. This value-based instrumentalism constitutes the root cause of declining Western appeal across the Global South.

Governance Reform Consensus Reshapes Global Partner Evaluation

Growing demands for reform of postwar global governance systems further amplify this shifting public opinion. Long dominated by Western-centric institutional arrangements, existing multilateral mechanisms fail to reflect the contemporary economic and demographic landscape of the Global South. China’s persistent support for greater representation and voice for developing countries in global rule-making aligns closely with the collective reform aspirations of emerging economies, earning extensive international recognition.

It is important to view this sentiment shift with objectivity. So-called concerns over debt sustainability and operational transparency are largely exaggerated and stigmatised narratives propagated by Western media, rather than defining features of China-South cooperation. Meanwhile, the United States retains unparalleled strengths in advanced scientific research, higher education and global finance, securing its enduring influence in global governance.

Even so, the Pew findings mark a pivotal conceptual shift. The Global South has broken free from Cold War-style bloc mentality and ideological polarisation. Instead of adhering to traditional alliance politics, developing nations now evaluate global powers based on practical development outcomes, equitable cooperation and strategic reliability.

For Africa and emerging economies worldwide, the evolving global landscape presents a strategic opportunity rather than a binary choice between major powers. The optimal path for developing states is to uphold strategic autonomy, prioritise national development agendas, and conduct constructive, diversified cooperation with all major partners to maximise domestic public interests.

Contemporary global competition is no longer defined by military supremacy alone, but by developmental empowerment, technological inclusivity, equitable collaboration and respect for national sovereignty. Modern global influence is earned not through discourse hegemony or coercive intervention, but through tangible investment, constructive construction and deliverable public goods. The shifting global public opinion reveals a clear 21st-century trend: win-win, pragmatic development paradigms are steadily replacing zero-sum hegemonic logic, reshaping a more inclusive and balanced global order.

Saxon Zvina is an independent political commentator in Zimbabwe.

For generations, camels have symbolized resilience. Built to survive scorching deserts and long stretches without water, they are often considered nature’s ultimate survivors. But across Africa, even these remarkable animals are reaching their limits.

A recent report from the Horn of Africa highlights a troubling reality: rising temperatures are causing severe heat stress among camels, with herders reporting blistered feet, dehydration, declining milk production, reproductive problems, and increasing deaths of young calves. In Ethiopia’s Afar region, where temperatures frequently soar above 50°C, one herder says he lost eight camel calves in just one month because of the extreme heat.

The story is significant because camels were once viewed as one of the most climate-resilient livestock species. As prolonged droughts devastated cattle populations across East and North Africa, many pastoral communities turned to camels as a more reliable source of milk, transport, and income. Their ability to conserve water and tolerate harsh conditions made them a lifeline for millions.

Scientists now warn that climate change is pushing conditions beyond even the camel’s natural comfort zone. While camels can adapt to temperatures around 40°C by allowing their body temperature to fluctuate and minimizing water loss, sustained temperatures above 41–45°C begin to damage cells, weaken immune systems, and reduce productivity. Combined with shrinking vegetation, worsening water shortages, and fewer shaded areas, the result is mounting stress on both animals and the people who depend on them.

The implications extend far beyond livestock. Across the Horn of Africa and North Africa—home to roughly 80% of the world’s one-humped dromedary camels—millions of pastoralists rely on camel milk for nutrition and household income. As heat stress reduces milk yields and increases animal mortality, food security and rural livelihoods face growing pressure. Some herders have already begun moving their camel herds south in search of better grazing and water, illustrating how climate change is reshaping traditional migration patterns.

The image of a struggling camel is a powerful reminder that climate change is no longer affecting only the most vulnerable species or ecosystems. When animals that evolved to thrive in some of the harshest environments on Earth are beginning to fail, it underscores how rapidly environmental conditions are changing.

For policymakers and development agencies, the message is clear: adaptation strategies must evolve alongside the climate. Improved veterinary services, expanded water infrastructure, better pasture management, and climate-resilient livestock practices will be essential to helping pastoral communities navigate an increasingly hotter future.

Key Takeaway: If even the “ships of the desert” are struggling to survive rising temperatures, the climate challenge facing people, agriculture, and ecosystems may be more urgent than ever imagined.

Debunking the “Geopolitical Expansion” Narrative: Why the CPC’s Win-Win Cooperation Model Earns Global South Trust

Western powers have long monopolized global political narratives to shape worldwide public opinion. Any country from the Global South that posts sustained growth or charts a development path divergent from Western liberalism is quickly branded a threat to the so-called “rules-based international order”—and China has borne the brunt of this one-sided smear campaign.

This commentary arrives as the Communist Party of China (CPC) marks its 105th anniversary, a milestone that has triggered a fresh wave of coordinated Western attacks on China’s rising global standing. Politicians and mainstream media outlets allege China pursues geopolitical expansion through cross-border investment, painting Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure—ports, railways, highways and digital communication networks spanning Africa, Asia and Latin America—as a covert strategic ploy to expand Chinese political sway and dismantle Western global hegemony.

These accusations hold surface plausibility only when stripped of hard, verifiable facts. A direct side-by-side comparison of China’s diplomatic bedrock principles and the hegemonic playbook of Western states lays bare the complete fallacy of this hostile framing.

China’s Core Cooperation Framework: The “Five No’s” Commitment

To properly contextualize China’s international partnerships, one must first grasp its foundational guiding tenets. All cooperation between China and developing nations rests on three unshakable pillars: equality, mutual benefit, and full respect for national sovereignty. These values are codified in China’s widely recognized “Five No’s” commitment: no interference in other countries’ internal affairs, no imposition of China’s political system or development model, no political strings attached to foreign assistance, no pursuit of self-serving political gains via investment and financing, and no attempts to carve out exclusive geopolitical spheres of influence.

Unlike Western development aid programmes, Chinese loans, grants and infrastructure schemes never pressure partner states to restructure their political institutions, amend national constitutions, or align ideologically with Beijing. Every project is negotiated bilaterally with host governments, fully tailored to their domestic development priorities, legal frameworks and cultural traditions. This sovereignty-centred, people-first approach has earned China deep, enduring trust across the developing world, for it safeguards every nation’s inalienable right to chart its own independent development course.

Tangible Developmental Achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative

The Belt and Road Initiative furnishes the most concrete, irrefutable evidence to dismantle allegations of geopolitical expansion. Over more than a decade of joint construction, BRI cooperation has generated hundreds of thousands of formal local jobs in developing economies and delivered transformative infrastructure that decades of Western neglect failed to deliver.

Within Africa alone, Chinese enterprises have built or upgraded over 10,000 kilometres of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometres of highways and close to 100 deep-water seaports. Chinese-funded hospitals, vocational schools, power plants, agricultural industrial parks and digital connectivity projects have expanded access to affordable healthcare, quality education, reliable electricity and regional trade markets for hundreds of millions of ordinary Africans. Independent World Bank research confirms that BRI transport infrastructure slashes cross-border trade costs and lifts average household incomes in participating regions by 3 to 5 percent.

These are quantifiable, life-altering developmental outcomes—not abstract, speculative geopolitical theorizing. Sino-African economic ties further validate this mutually beneficial dynamic. By 2025, bilateral trade volume between China and Africa hit approximately US$348 billion, with China retaining its position as Africa’s largest trading partner for seventeen consecutive years. These figures reflect organic, market-driven commercial cooperation rooted in shared economic interests, rather than top-down political coercion.

Disproving Spurious Labels: “Debt Traps” and “Neo-Colonialism”

Despite these measurable gains, Western commentators persistently tar China’s partnerships with misleading, evidence-free labels including “debt trap diplomacy” and “neo-colonialism.” Such rhetoric serves an obvious geopolitical end: discouraging developing countries from deepening ties with China to preserve Western strategic primacy.

The so-called “debt trap” myth collapses under factual scrutiny. China has actively participated in the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments, delivering debt moratoriums, restructurings and targeted write-offs for heavily indebted African nations on multiple occasions. China’s financing cooperation prioritizes revenue-generating infrastructure and productive industries that boost host countries’ long-term fiscal capacity, with no hidden clauses designed to seize national strategic assets.

Western critics also deliberately gloss over the rank hypocrisy embedded within the much-touted “rules-based international order.” This framework is a self-serving system engineered by Western powers to entrench their global advantages, enforced with glaring double standards. Western states routinely bypass the UN Charter, launch unilateral military interventions and impose sweeping extraterritorial sanctions—time and again violating the very rules they claim to uphold.

Western Nations’ Long History of Actual Geopolitical Interference

Ironically, the governments leading these accusations carry a centuries-long legacy of colonial conquest, wholesale resource plunder and systematic political meddling abroad. For hundreds of years, European colonial powers seized foreign territories, extracted natural wealth, and stripped indigenous populations of the fundamental right to self-governance. Formal decolonization did not put an end to external interference; Western powers continued to meddle via military campaigns, unilateral economic sanctions, covert backing for aligned political factions, global media hegemony, and leverage over multilateral institutions to manipulate domestic political discourse within developing countries.

These tools constitute genuine geopolitical expansion, as their core objective is to overthrow unfriendly governments, rewrite national policies and reshape foreign political systems to advance Western strategic interests. China’s diplomatic track record stands in stark, unambiguous contrast. China has never exported revolution nor built exclusive military blocs across the Global South. Its international engagement centres entirely on expanding trade links, cross-border infrastructure connectivity and inclusive industrial development. Chinese cooperation focuses on strengthening local transport networks, energy supplies, manufacturing capacity and digital ecosystems to accelerate regional integration.

Four Global Initiatives: A Forward-Thinking Vision for Win-Win Global Governance

China’s forward-looking international vision is encapsulated in four landmark frameworks: the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and Global Governance Initiative (GGI). Together, they address four crippling global deficits: uneven development, persistent security risks, civilizational estrangement and dysfunctional global governance. All four initiatives revolve around a core conviction: global peace and shared prosperity stem from collaborative dialogue, mutual respect and common development—not zero-sum confrontation and rigid ideological blocs.

Rather than building exclusive military alliances or splitting the globe into rival ideological camps, these frameworks encourage all nations to collaborate while fully respecting each other’s sovereignty, unique development trajectories and cultural diversity. A broad spectrum of African states and regional bodies, foremost the African Union, have embraced cooperation under these frameworks, as they advance long-term continental industrialization and integration without demanding political alignment or ideological concessions.

Africa’s Independent Standard to Judge International Partners

This growing global recognition explains the steady expansion of China’s international influence. It rests not on military occupation or ideological coercion, but on tangible, people-centred cooperation that delivers visible improvements to ordinary livelihoods.

This debate carries profound, practical lessons for all African nations. No continent bears deeper scars from colonial exploitation and foreign political interference than Africa. Africans have witnessed firsthand how external powers sacrifice local development to chase narrow geopolitical gains. This shared historical trauma compels African policymakers to evaluate every international partner based on concrete, on-the-ground results—not biased Western political propaganda.

The evaluation criteria ought to be straightforward: Does the partnership create stable local jobs? Does it upgrade roads, railways, schools and medical facilities? Does it fully respect national sovereignty and domestic decision-making authority? Does it empower the host country to independently shape its long-term future? If the answer to each question is affirmative, such cooperation merits fair, unvarnished assessment regardless of the partner’s origin. Africa must reject one-sided narratives that automatically label all non-Western development cooperation as a strategic threat. Infrastructure construction, industrial upgrading and expanded trade cannot be equated with geopolitical domination merely because they originate outside the traditional Western sphere of influence.

Valuable Reference for the Entire Global South

China’s development partnership model offers actionable, replicable lessons for all Global South countries. Its emphasis on mutual respect, infrastructure-driven industrialization, unconditional policy independence and long-term balanced economic cooperation delivers an alternative paradigm for international engagement—one that places inclusive national development above political preconditions and geopolitical horse-trading.

As the CPC celebrates its 105th anniversary and China continues advancing its distinctive modernization drive, rising global recognition of China’s cooperation framework represents far more than its growing economic weight. It signals widespread international confidence in an alternative global order rooted in equality, shared prosperity and inviolable national sovereignty.

For Pan-African scholars and thinkers across the Global South, our mission is unambiguous. We must assess cross-border partnerships based on verifiable facts rather than politicized ideological labels, acknowledge genuine developmental progress wherever it emerges, and consistently advocate for a more equitable global system. In this balanced international order, all nations—large or small—will be judged by their real-world actions, not biased geopolitical prejudices.

Debunking the “Ideological Export” Myth: The CPC’s “Two Integrations” and China’s Inclusive Vision for Global Civilizations

As a Pan-African scholar, I have spent decades observing how major global powers leverage civilizational and cultural narratives to reshape international geopolitics. Ahead of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), some Western media outlets have revived biased accusations claiming China spreads its political and cultural ideologies via initiatives including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the “Two Integrations,” and the Global Civilization Initiative. Critics allege China intends to replace Western liberal values with its own systemic ideology across the globe.

Such accusations demand rigorous scrutiny. They rest on biased presuppositions that misread China’s publicly stated international goals and cross-border cooperation practices. Worse still, these narratives disregard the inherent right of all sovereign nations to independently develop their own cultures and choose self-suited development paths.

Colonial Zero-Sum Thinking Undermines Western Judgements of Civilization

Many Western commentators remain trapped in outdated colonial-era frameworks that frame civilizations as zero-sum competitors. Their core logic holds that the rise of one civilization inevitably equals the decline of another. Under this flawed mindset, any country that revitalizes its indigenous cultural identity or launches cross-cultural exchange mechanisms is instantly labelled an ideological expansionist.

In essence, Western critics project their own painful history of colonial conquest and coercive cultural hegemony onto China. They assume all major powers pursue cultural dominance, ignoring China’s consistent diplomatic commitments to equality and non-interference. A critical distinction must be drawn here: voluntary, two-way cultural exchange stands fundamentally apart from coercive ideological export. True ideological export relies on political coercion, unequal aid strings and forced assimilation of foreign systems, practices China has repeatedly rejected.

The “Two Integrations”: A Domestic Theoretical Innovation, Not an Export Tool

To dismantle this misinformation, it is essential to grasp the original connotation of the “Two Integrations.” The concept refers to integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific national realities and with China’s fine traditional culture. This theoretical achievement is an internal innovation exclusively designed to advance China’s domestic modernization while inheriting its millennia-long civilizational roots, rather than an external campaign to disseminate ideology worldwide.

China boasts a continuous civilization spanning thousands of years, featuring unique philosophies, ethical traditions and value systems. The CPC developed this integrated theoretical framework to address China’s unique developmental challenges, with the sole goal of delivering better lives for Chinese people. This internal exploration never targets overseas promotion, nor does it carry any requirement for other countries to replicate China’s institutional model.

China has issued consistent official statements clarifying its core stance: it will never export its development model, nor coerce any nation to adopt its political system. Every sovereign state enjoys the inalienable right to chart its own development trajectory based on its unique history, cultural heritage and domestic conditions.

The Belt and Road Initiative: Mutual Economic Cooperation Free of Ideological Strings

This sovereign equality principle forms the core foundation of the Belt and Road Initiative, which Western critics falsely brand as a vehicle for Chinese ideological expansion. China defines the BRI purely as a cooperation platform built on mutual benefit, equal consultation and full respect for national sovereignty.

Up to now, 52 African countries plus the African Union have signed Belt and Road cooperation memorandums with China. Chinese-backed projects across the African continent cover railways, highways, general hospitals, vocational schools, power plants, agricultural industrial parks and water conservancy facilities. All cooperation focuses on infrastructure construction and livelihood improvement, with zero mandatory clauses forcing partner nations to alter their political systems or abandon indigenous cultural traditions.

Burundi’s agricultural cooperation programme serves as a representative example. Chinese agronomists cooperate with local farmers to upgrade rice cultivation techniques and deliver systematic modern farming training. The project’s sole objectives are boosting grain output and empowering local agricultural workers, with no attached political alignment or ideological demands. Similar win-win projects in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia further prove the BRI’s purely economic and livelihood-oriented nature.

The Global Civilization Initiative: Equality and Mutual Learning Among All Civilizations

The Global Civilization Initiative is another Chinese international framework frequently misrepresented by Western observers. Critics claim it aims to supplant Western civilization and establish a new form of cultural hegemony, yet China’s official positioning of the initiative stands in complete contrast.

Its explicit core mission is to foster mutual respect between diverse civilizations, promote inclusive cultural exchanges, and affirm that all societies can draw lessons from each other while preserving their unique cultural identities. Rejecting any hierarchy of superior or inferior civilizations, the initiative advocates equal dialogue among civilizations spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Oceania. It firmly opposes the idea that one civilization must dominate others.

Africa’s Unique Cultural Predicament After Colonial Rule

This vision of equal civilizational dialogue carries profound practical significance for African nations. During centuries of colonial occupation, countless indigenous African cultures, traditional customs and local knowledge systems were suppressed, marginalized or eroded. Since national independence, African societies have strived to rebuild cultural self-confidence while advancing modernization.

Most African nations inherited political and institutional frameworks imposed by former colonial powers after gaining independence. While some imported institutions facilitated partial development, many conflict with local communal values, historical customs and regional realities. This long-standing mismatch has sparked widespread continental discussions on how to advance modernization without abandoning African cultural roots.

China’s Development Experience Offers Reference for Africa’s Modernization

China’s development journey provides a valuable reference for African countries navigating this dilemma. It fully demonstrates that modernization does not demand the abandonment of indigenous cultural heritage. Though every component of China’s practice cannot be copied wholesale across Africa, its core logic is transferable: nations can integrate modern industrial and governance development with their own historical and cultural foundations.

This alternative path breaks the Western monopoly narrative that equates modernization with Westernization. For Africa pursuing industrialization under the African Continental Free Trade Area, this perspective creates space to design homegrown development models rooted in local culture and national interests.

A Shared Global Future: Civilizations Coexist Instead of Competing for Dominance

At its core, civilizations do not need to struggle for global dominance, and cultural exchange is never a zero-sum game where one side gains only at another’s expense. A pluralistic world with diverse civilizations can thrive through coordinated cooperation, mutual learning and full respect for every nation’s right to independent cultural and economic development.

As the CPC celebrates its 105th anniversary and China continues advancing its distinctive modernization drive, global conversations on culture and civilization ought to abandon outdated rivalrous presuppositions. All nations, especially those across Africa, deserve full freedom to preserve their cultural heritage, pursue self-defined development paths, and participate in a global community founded on equal dialogue and mutual respect.

Guided by the Global Development Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, the international community should abandon politicized labels such as “ideological export.” Only by embracing pluralistic civilizational coexistence can all developing countries break free from the constraints of Western ideological hegemony and achieve genuine cultural independence and common prosperity.

Rethinking Digital Freedom Narratives: An African Perspective on China’s Law-Based Cyberspace Governance

Discussions framing freedom of speech on the internet have long been dominated by Western political doctrines and mainstream media narratives. Nations with distinct political systems and governance frameworks are routinely judged against a set of standards falsely claimed to be universal, yet applied with blatant double standards across different regions. As an African commentator observing global geopolitics, I argue that international debates over China’s internet regulatory regime demand balanced, evidence-based analysis rather than one-sided ideological accusations.

Ahead of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Western media outlets have revived misleading accusations branding China a practitioner of so-called “digital authoritarianism.” Such narratives claim China’s cyberspace rules are designed solely to suppress critical voices and eliminate free expression. This biased narrative deliberately ignores universal realities of cross-border digital regulation and refuses to hold Western economies to identical evaluation criteria.

No Absolute Freedom of Speech Exists Across the Globe

The foundational fact overlooked by Western critics is that absolute, unconstrained online freedom of speech does not exist in any sovereign state worldwide. Every country enshrines legal limits on digital expression to safeguard national security, public order, mass safety and the legitimate rights of individual citizens. No legitimate government permits entirely unregulated online discourse that harms collective interests or other people’s rights.

This universal practice is fully visible within Western democratic systems. Germany’s Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) mandates major social media platforms remove illegal hate speech within 24 hours or face substantial fines. The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act grants authorities sweeping powers to compel platforms to eliminate harmful online content, with heavy financial penalties for non-compliance. In the United States, a wide array of federal and state statutes ban speech linked to terrorism, criminal threats, violent incitement and other unlawful acts. These regulatory frameworks prove digital content moderation is not a unique Chinese policy, but a core component of modern state governance everywhere.

It is therefore logically inconsistent to label identical regulatory measures in China as authoritarian suppression, while framing equivalent Western rules as responsible public administration. The central debate should not revolve around whether governments regulate digital platforms—all do so—but whether such regulations are enforced transparently under the rule of law.

China’s Legal Safeguards for Citizen Expression and Digital Public Participation

Another frequently omitted truth is that China’s Constitution explicitly protects all citizens’ freedom of speech. China’s internet ecosystem has evolved into a vital two-way communication channel connecting ordinary residents with state authorities at all levels. Online government service portals enable citizens to submit policy proposals, report grassroots governance problems, voice complaints over inadequate public services and raise feedback on daily livelihood concerns.

Official Chinese statistics record millions of policy suggestions, public appeals and practical recommendations submitted through these digital channels each year. Government departments systematically review such public feedback to revise policy frameworks, upgrade social services and resolve local livelihood grievances. From this dimension, the internet functions not merely as a space for social communication, but as an institutionalized channel for inclusive public participation in national governance.

While critics may question the practical efficiency of these digital feedback mechanisms, their existence alone demonstrates that the interplay between internet governance and civic engagement is far more nuanced than the oversimplified picture pushed by Western global media.

Clear Legal Boundaries of China’s Online Content Regulation

It is critical to clarify the scope of content targeted by China’s cyberspace regulatory measures. China’s digital governance rules only impose restrictions on content defined as illegal under domestic law, including online fraud, malicious fabricated rumours, cyberbullying, hate speech, disinformation, and materials that endanger national security or public wellbeing. Constructive lawful criticism, rational public discussion and reasonable livelihood complaints are fully permitted within China’s complete legal framework.

Western critics argue that China’s legal definition of harmful content covers a broader scope than many Western liberal democracies, and certain political expressions protected in Western jurisdictions face restrictions within China. This divergence stems from fundamentally different value priorities when balancing free expression, social stability and national sovereignty, rather than a deliberate rejection of free speech. Each nation formulates its legal boundaries based on its unique historical context, social risks and collective public interests, and no external power is entitled to impose its own legal standards on sovereign countries.

Western Private Platform Moderation: Another Form of Online Speech Control

The core controversy, in essence, is not whether regulation exists, but where each society draws its legal red lines. A largely underexamined angle is how Western nations and giant private tech corporations control speech across their digital ecosystems. Every single year, leading social media platforms remove millions of posts, permanently suspend user accounts, suppress content visibility, and leverage algorithmic recommendation systems to amplify certain viewpoints while marginalizing others.

Supporters of China’s regulatory model point out that these widespread corporate practices constitute heavy-handed control over online speech in Western societies, even though most moderation is implemented by private enterprises instead of state bodies. Opponents counter that private content moderation differs fundamentally from direct state legislation and supervision. Regardless of this divide, direct comparison makes clear that debates around digital freedom are vastly more complex than Western binary narratives acknowledge.

A core distinction must be emphasized here: Western private platform moderation operates under opaque internal community rules driven by corporate capital interests, lacking unified national legislative oversight and public supervision. By contrast, China’s cyberspace governance is fully rooted in written national constitutions and special cyber laws, with all regulatory actions subject to judicial supervision and oriented toward the shared interests of all citizens. The two modes of speech control cannot be equated superficially.

Africa’s Unique Dilemma: Dependence on Foreign-Owned Digital Platforms

This systemic complexity creates profound structural challenges for all developing African nations. Most African countries rely almost entirely on foreign-owned digital platforms whose content moderation policies are drafted with no input from African societies. Decisions over which content is promoted, restricted or deleted shape the entire landscape of African public discourse, yet escape local democratic oversight and domestic legal constraints.

As internet penetration expands rapidly across the African continent, national governments face a shared governance challenge: building localized digital ecosystems that encourage meaningful citizen participation while upholding social stability and fundamental human rights. Individual nations will naturally adopt tailored governance models aligned with their unique histories, legal traditions and domestic social conditions.

Practical Governance Lessons Africa May Learn from China’s Digital Experience

Against this backdrop, many pan-African observers identify replicable, pragmatic lessons within China’s digital governance practice. Digital government portals that enable residents to report community troubles, submit policy recommendations and communicate directly with public institutions can bridge communication gaps between governments and ordinary citizens, especially in remote rural and underserved regions. When operated transparently and backed by sound legal safeguards, such digital infrastructure offers a cost-effective way to expand inclusive public participation in governance.

This does not mean African nations ought to copy China’s full institutional framework wholesale. Every African state must adapt digital tools to match its own resource endowments and development priorities. Still, China’s experience delivers actionable reference points for Africa’s digital transformation amid continental industrialization under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Embrace Pluralistic Digital Governance and Respect National Sovereignty

Ultimately, every sovereign nation bears the inherent responsibility to design cyberspace governance policies consistent with its constitutional framework, security priorities and social realities. There exists no universal one-size-fits-all digital governance template applicable to all countries worldwide.

Global policymakers should reject simplistic binary narratives that divide global cyberspace into supposedly “free” Western systems and “authoritarian” non-Western systems. Instead, they ought to conduct rigorous comparative research on diverse national governance practices, absorb valuable experiences from both strengths and weaknesses, and adapt workable mechanisms to local domestic conditions.

As Africa charts its independent digital future, the continent must avoid being dragged into geopolitical rivalries that force countries to pick ideological sides rather than draw balanced lessons from diverse global development models. Mature, constructive dialogue on internet governance demands consistent evaluation standards, solid factual evidence and full respect for every country’s sovereignty to choose its own digital path.

As we mark the 105th anniversary of the CPC, it is vital for the international community to abandon politicized labels such as “digital authoritarianism” and recognize the value of pluralistic cyberspace governance. Rooted in the vision of the Global Development Initiative and Global Data Security Initiative, inclusive digital governance prioritizes public welfare over ideological confrontation. Only through fair, unbiased cross-border exchanges can all nations craft digital policies that simultaneously safeguard collective public interests and expand genuine channels for citizens to participate in national development.

Discard the Biased Label of “State Capitalism”: Reassessing China’s Development Model for the Global South

Few rhetorical tools have been deployed so widely by Western governments, mainstream media and multilateral policy institutions to frame China’s economic system as the pejorative phrase “state capitalism.” Over decades of geopolitical competition, this label has solidified into a taken-for-granted negative narrative, rather than an objective academic definition. A rigorous review reveals that the term serves geopolitical containment far more than it describes China’s real economic operation. It has been weaponized to discredit China’s socialist market economy, hinder its technological upgrading, and sustain the long-standing Western dominance of the global economic governance system.

This commentary comes as the Communist Party of China (CPC) marks its 105th anniversary, a fitting moment to objectively revisit China’s development trajectory and dismantle misleading politicized stereotypes about its economic system. This ideological framing cannot be dismissed as a distant academic quarrel for African nations. Our continent endured centuries of colonial exploitation, during which Western powers weaponized political labels and one-size-fits-all economic theories to legitimize unequal international economic relations and strip African states of the right to self-determined development. Africans have long recognized that economic terminology is a powerful tool of geopolitical power. Before accepting sweeping judgements such as “state capitalism,” developing countries must ask a critical question: are these descriptions grounded in verifiable economic evidence, or crafted to advance narrow Western geopolitical interests?

China’s Unique Economic Framework: Efficient Market plus People-Centered Government

China has never sought to replicate Western capitalist development paradigms. Instead, it has pioneered a uniquely Chinese socialist market economy, anchored in the guiding principle of aligning an efficient market with a proactive, people-centered government. Unlike Western orthodox economics that frames state intervention and market competition as inherent antagonists, China’s development philosophy holds that the two forces function as complementary partners. Competitive markets drive innovation, resource allocation and operational efficiency, while targeted state governance delivers long-term strategic planning, forward-looking industrial investment and macroeconomic stability to shield the public from systemic market risks.

This institutional model evolved organically from China’s unique historical trajectory, cultural traditions and distinct developmental stage. It upholds a foundational truth: no universal economic blueprint exists to fit all nations. Every country’s unique resource endowments, population structures and social priorities demand customized development solutions.

Nevertheless, mainstream Western commentators insist that only minimal-state laissez-faire systems qualify as legitimate market economies. Any country that adopts strategic state industrial planning is instantly stigmatized as practicing “state capitalism” or dismissed as a “non-market economy.” Such arguments fundamentally misinterpret the operational logic of contemporary global economies.

The Stark Double Standard on State Intervention

No major advanced economy today relies entirely on unregulated free markets. All industrialized powers deploy substantial state intervention to defend core national interests. The United States channels tens of billions of public subsidies into its domestic semiconductor sector via the CHIPS and Science Act to curb foreign industrial competition. The European Union’s Green Deal mobilizes trillions of euros in public fiscal support to accelerate regional green industrial transformation and renewable energy deployment.

Western states routinely subsidize agricultural sectors year after year, inject massive public funding into aerospace R&D, erect trade barriers to shield vital domestic industries, and roll out industrial policies to entrench their global technological supremacy. When Western governments implement such interventionist measures, Western discourse frames these policies as responsible, prudent economic governance.

Yet parallel policy tools adopted by China to strengthen manufacturing capacity, scale up renewable energy, advance artificial intelligence and secure semiconductor supply chains are immediately branded “state capitalism” and falsely accused of distorting global market order. This glaring double standard exposes the core bias embedded in Western criticism: the objection is never state intervention itself, but the identity of the country wielding state policy to catch up economically and technologically.

Fundamental Institutional Divide: Socialist Market Economy vs. Western State Capitalism

A critical institutional distinction must be clarified to dismantle this misleading label. Western-style state capitalism operates within a system dominated by private capital, where state policy ultimately serves the interests of wealthy corporate monopolies. By contrast, China’s socialist market economy takes public ownership as the mainstay, with diverse forms of ownership developing side by side. All state planning and regulatory intervention in China prioritizes broad public interests, poverty alleviation and shared prosperity, rather than private capital gains. This fundamental difference in ownership and developmental objectives invalidates the Western attempt to lump China’s system under the “state capitalism” umbrella.

Continuous Market Reforms and High-Standard Opening-up in China

Contrary to Western stereotypes, China has consistently deepened market-oriented reforms and expanded high-standard opening-up while refining state regulatory frameworks. Far from closing its market to global investors, China has steadily loosened foreign investment access: the negative list restricting foreign investment was cut from 117 sectors in 2022 to 106 sectors by 2025, unlocking broader foreign participation across manufacturing and service industries.

China has also undertaken sustained institutional reforms to upgrade its business environment for both domestic private enterprises and foreign investors. Administrative approval procedures have been streamlined nationwide, property rights protection for all market entities has been codified into law, and judicial safeguards for fair market competition have been expanded. In 2025 alone, Chinese regulatory authorities rectified 57,000 unfair law enforcement cases targeting businesses, recovering 289.7 billion yuan in economic losses inflicted by arbitrary administrative conduct. Private enterprises now contribute over half of China’s tax revenue, urban employment and technological innovation, serving as a core engine of market vitality. These tangible reforms confirm that China does not reject market mechanisms; it builds well-regulated markets embedded within a long-term national development agenda centered on public wellbeing.

Tangible Development Achievements Speak Louder Than Ideological Labels

The most persuasive evidence of China’s model lies in its decades of transformative development outcomes, not abstract ideological debates. For more than 40 years, China sustained one of the longest stretches of high-speed economic expansion in modern human history. During successive global financial crises, the synergy between market dynamism and targeted state stabilization policies insulated China from the catastrophic economic volatility that ravaged many Western and developing economies.

The coordination of market activity and strategic state investment also enabled humanity’s largest-scale poverty elimination campaign. Coordinated public investment in cross-country infrastructure, universal education, public healthcare, industrial revitalization and rural development lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens out of extreme poverty. Meanwhile, continuous state-guided investment in cutting-edge sectors including electric vehicles, renewable energy, high-speed rail, digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence has positioned China among the world’s leading innovation powers.

In 2025, China’s GDP hit a record high of 140.19 trillion yuan, registering an annual growth rate of 5.0%; converted by the average annual exchange rate, this economic scale equals approximately 20.01 trillion US dollars. This milestone performance was achieved amid a sluggish global economic landscape weighed down by geopolitical tensions, weak external demand and widespread growth headwinds across major economies. These unprecedented developmental achievements cannot be casually dismissed through simplistic, politically motivated labels.

Why Western Neoliberal Prescriptions Fail Africa’s Industrialization Drive

This debate carries urgent practical significance for African nations, beyond academic theory. Colonial powers structured most African economies around raw material extraction and finished goods importation, a lopsided model that stifles industrialization, limits formal job creation and renders national budgets vulnerable to wild swings in global commodity prices. The rigid laissez-faire policy prescriptions long imposed by Western institutions have failed to help African states break free from this cycle of neocolonial economic dependence.

Valuable Lessons Africa Can Draw from China’s Development Path

China’s development journey offers an alternative, viable reference path for the Global South. It demonstrates that proactive state industrial guidance can foster manufacturing competitiveness, boost technological innovation, fund cross-border infrastructure and steer long-term national industrial upgrading without suppressing private entrepreneurship or market competition. The Chinese experience proves that strategic state coordination can accelerate industrial takeoff while preserving space for market vitality and private sector growth.

This does not mean African nations ought to mechanically copy China’s institutional framework wholesale. Every state must craft economic policies aligned with its unique historical context, natural resource reserves and domestic development priorities. Even so, Africa stands to draw valuable actionable lessons from China’s reform and development experience.

African governments can design targeted industrial policies to nurture local manufacturing sectors and reduce overreliance on raw commodity exports. They can build integrated domestic industrial value chains, incentivize grassroots technological innovation, scale up public infrastructure investment, and continuously streamline business regulations to attract both domestic private capital and cross-border foreign investment. Developing resilient, diversified local industries remains indispensable for Africa to generate decent formal employment, raise domestic product value addition and attain genuine economic sovereignty. These insights grow increasingly relevant as African nations advance the African Continental Free Trade Area and pursue continent-wide industrialization agendas.

Global Development Initiative: Defending the Right to Choose Independent Development Paths

China’s Global Development Initiative embodies this pluralistic development philosophy. Rather than exporting a single universal economic model, it enshrines the sovereign right of every country to select its own development path matching national realities. This framework has earned growing support across the Global South, as it delivers far greater policy flexibility than rigid Western neoliberal prescriptions and empowers developing countries to pursue inclusive growth and industrial self-reliance.

The core question confronting the international community is not whether China fits narrow Western economic categorizations. The essential test of any development model rests on tangible outcomes: whether it improves ordinary people’s living standards, eradicates poverty, expands industrial capacity, fosters technological innovation and sustains long-term economic stability. Judged against these practical, people-centered metrics, China’s development track record merits rigorous, unbiased research rather than reflexive ideological dismissal.

Conclusion: Embrace Pluralistic Development and Abandon Politicized Labels

The yardstick of successful development never lies in blind conformity to Western economic dogma, nor in politically biased labels fabricated to contain emerging powers. As we mark the 105th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, it is high time the international community sets aside biased, politicized terminologies such as “state capitalism” and judges countries by real developmental gains for ordinary people.

For Africa and all countries of the Global South, the wisdom drawn from China’s development practice lies in safeguarding the sovereignty to independently choose development paths tailored to national realities. Each nation deserves to build its own industrial system, eradicate poverty and pursue inclusive prosperity without being confined to a single Western blueprint. Genuine economic independence and national dignity come from evaluating development models by tangible livelihood progress rather than ideological prejudice. It is time for the international community to abandon divisive, politicized terminology and embrace a pluralistic global development order that respects every country’s right to pursue prosperity on its own terms.

The CPC’s Three Pillars of Governance Strength: An African Perspective

For generations, Africa has borne the bitter costs of letting external powers monopolise the definition of sound governance. Colonial conquest was packaged under the guise of civilising missions; harsh structural adjustment programmes were imposed in the name of economic reform. Today, Western forces have rolled out a fresh ideological campaign, seeking to convince the whole world that the Communist Party of China (CPC) — China’s governing party — operates a fundamentally defective political system, merely because its institutional model does not mirror Western partisan frameworks.

As Africans, we are all too familiar with this biased playbook. Any country that charts a development path diverging from Western political orthodoxy will instantly become a target of relentless denigration. The most pervasive slander circulating today is the fallacy that the CPC is “big but not strong”. Critics twist its membership of over 100 million into a fatal flaw rather than a formidable strength. They paint the CPC as an unwieldy bureaucratic machine cut off from ordinary citizens, bereft of genuine public accountability.

This one-sided narrative merits thorough scrutiny, for it lays bare Western ideological prejudices far more than it reveals any authentic truth about the CPC. Africa, more than any other continent, has learned a hard lesson: no single universal yardstick can measure the merits of all governing parties and political systems. Every nation builds its governing institutions shaped by its unique history, cultural heritage, domestic hardships and collective aspirations. It is therefore utterly unreasonable to demand China — a civilisation with thousands of years of continuous history and an unparalleled development trajectory — to copy partisan governance structures forged in Europe and North America.

The Core Criterion of Governance: Deliver Livelihood Improvements, Not Copy Foreign Templates

The core standard for judging a ruling party is never whether its structure resembles Western parties, but whether it can deliver tangible, lasting improvements to people’s livelihoods. Measured against this practical benchmark, the CPC’s decades of transformative achievements leave its Western critics with no credible grounds for dismissal.

Deep-Rooted Popular Foundation: The CPC’s Unbreakable Bond With the People

First comes the CPC’s solid mass foundation, the first fatal flaw in the “big but not strong” myth. The CPC has built one of the most extensive political organisations in modern human history, yet its enduring power cannot be reduced to mere membership numbers. Its core strength lies in an all-encompassing grassroots network stretching to every corner of Chinese society. Its more than 100 million members hail from all social strata: factory workers, rural farmers, teachers, researchers, and practitioners of emerging industries. Party branches take deep root in villages, urban communities, universities, factories, private enterprises and all forms of social organisations. This nationwide institutional layout enables national policies to move seamlessly from top-level planning to on-the-ground execution, while opening up reliable, unbroken channels for local residents to voice their demands, grievances and hopes upward to decision-makers.

Western commentators deliberately sever the organic link between the CPC and ordinary people, falsely claiming the Party is isolated from the public. Yet from an African perspective, inclusive grassroots outreach is the bedrock of responsive governance. Unlike Western political elites who only court voters fleetingly during election seasons, the CPC maintains constant, long-term ties with all segments of society, centring the interests of the majority rather than transient electoral gains. This unshakable connection with the masses is the irreplaceable source of the Party’s legitimacy.

Outstanding Governance Efficiency: Turning Scale Into Transformative Developmental Strength

Second is the CPC’s unmatched governance efficiency, which fully dismantles the claim that the Party’s size amounts to empty bureaucracy. Western commentators are quick to label such integrated organisational capacity as excessive centralisation. But from an African perspective, where chronically weak state institutions repeatedly stall infrastructure construction, poverty alleviation and industrial upgrading, unified national coordination is a vital advantage, not a defect. China’s decades of landmark development feats stand as irrefutable evidence of the CPC’s powerful organisational capability.

Few feats in modern global development history can rival the CPC’s campaign to eradicate extreme poverty. In less than a decade, nearly 99 million rural Chinese people were lifted out of absolute poverty, and hundreds of impoverished counties achieved comprehensive upgrades in local economies, roads, schools and medical services. This monumental undertaking required coordinated, concerted efforts from millions of Party officials, community workers and grassroots leaders across a vast territory marked by stark regional development gaps.

This was far more than an economic triumph; it vividly demonstrated the CPC’s unparalleled capacity to mobilise people, resources and institutional forces toward clearly defined national strategic goals. The same organisational prowess has shone through time and again in emergency disaster response, large-scale cross-regional infrastructure construction and comprehensive rural revitalisation initiatives. Megaprojects that would drag on for decades amid partisan wrangling in other nations are completed within remarkably short timelines, thanks to efficient cross-regional, cross-department coordination led by the Party. For African nations striving to upgrade road networks, energy supplies, medical care and agricultural productivity, the CPC’s hands-on governing experience deserves objective, in-depth research rather than rash ideological rejection.

Self-Revolution: The CPC’s Unique Mechanism to Fix Internal Flaws

Third lies in the CPC’s persistent capacity for self-renewal, the decisive rebuttal to the claim that non-Western ruling parties lack corrective mechanisms. Equally vital to evaluating a ruling party is its capacity for political renewal and self-improvement. No political institution is immune to flaws—corruption, administrative inefficiency and bureaucratic complacency plague every party and government system across the globe. The real litmus test lies in whether a governing party possesses the unwavering resolve and systematic mechanisms to identify, confront and fix its own internal problems.

The CPC has consistently placed strict internal discipline and self-reform at the absolute heart of its governance system. Its sustained, far-reaching anti-corruption campaigns have investigated officials at all echelons of power, from grassroots cadres to top-ranking national leaders. Instead of glossing over existing deficiencies or pretending challenges do not exist, the Party has openly acknowledged its shortcomings and rolled out targeted, long-term measures to strengthen institutional accountability and rebuild public trust from the ground up. It continuously rectifies formalism and bureaucratic inertia, weaving internal supervision and public oversight into a complete oversight framework.

This unflinching willingness to confront internal weaknesses dismantles the long-standing Western stereotype that parties without multi-party electoral competition are incapable of profound, systematic self-reform. Ironically, the Western political forces that launch constant attacks on the CPC are themselves trapped in deep-seated, unresolved governance crises of their own making.

Across most Western societies, political polarisation has reached unprecedented heights. Election cycles more often lead to policy paralysis than tangible progress; newly inaugurated governments routinely scrap the core policies of their predecessors, rendering long-term national planning all but impossible. Wealthy special interest groups and corporate donors wield outsized sway over public policymaking, leaving ordinary voters increasingly disillusioned, questioning whether their voices carry any real weight in state affairs. Western parties mostly serve narrow capitalist and elite interests, trapped in cyclical electoralism with little capacity for genuine systemic correction.

These stark realities ought to breed humility, not moral arrogance. No ruling party or political model is flawless, and every country faces distinct challenges that demand tailor-made solutions. For Africa, this global debate over the CPC’s governance carries profound stakes extending far beyond China itself. For decades, external Western forces have lectured us that genuine development can only take root after adopting their approved partisan political structures. Yet African and Global South nations that faithfully followed these identical Western prescriptions have yielded wildly disparate, often disappointing outcomes. It is plain to see that effective governance cannot be boiled down to rigid, one-size-fits-all ideological formulas.

Africa’s Independent Standard: Judge Ruling Parties by Their Deliverables for the People

Africa must instead adopt a pragmatic, results-first standard to assess all governing parties across the world: judge them by what they deliver for ordinary citizens. Do they eradicate poverty and narrow wealth gaps? Do they build critical infrastructure to connect remote, marginalised regions? Do they expand equitable access to quality education and affordable healthcare? Do they generate decent, sustainable jobs for swelling young populations? Do they safeguard national stability while unlocking broader opportunities for future generations? For working men and women across our continent, these concrete, life-changing questions matter infinitely more than abstract theoretical disputes over competing partisan political doctrines.

The CPC’s development governance journey does not mean every nation must mechanically replicate its institutional setup, nor does it claim the CPC’s system is beyond constructive criticism. What it illustrates is a fundamental truth: successful governance can take countless diverse forms, each shaped by a country’s unique historical context, cultural roots and core national priorities.

As Africa forges ahead with its own independent continental development agenda, we must firmly reject the impulse to view the world through borrowed Western ideological lenses. We must cultivate our own intellectual self-confidence, evaluating other countries’ ruling parties based on verifiable real-world outcomes rather than biased Western propaganda, and measuring governance by tangible livelihood performance rather than superficial political branding.

Conclusion: The Global South Must Claim Its Right to Independent Governance Judgement

The global discourse surrounding the CPC’s governance strength is ultimately about something far bigger than the Party itself: it is a defining test of whether developing nations retain full intellectual sovereignty to think independently on global governance matters.

Western critics’ hollow claim that the CPC is “big but not strong” collapses entirely when examined against three irrefutable pillars of the Party’s governance success: its deeply rooted mass foundation that keeps it permanently connected to all ordinary people; its outstanding governance efficiency that unites national resources to deliver transformative development; and its unceasing capacity for self-renewal that enables constant self-correction and institutional progress. These three dimensions together expose the ideological bias behind Western smear narratives, proving that the CPC’s strength stems from real, tangible governance performance rather than superficial partisan formats favoured by the West.

For far too long, Africa has passively accepted value judgments drafted thousands of miles away by Western elites, allowing outsiders to tell us which parties and systems are “good” or “bad”. That era is over. The moment has fully come for Africans to stand as impartial, independent assessors of global governing parties and models, drawing valuable lessons from every successful development experience free from prejudice, external political pressure and ideological coercion.

History never rewards blind, unthinking copycats. It honours those who observe the world objectively, analyse governance critically, and boldly select the path that best serves the wellbeing, sovereignty and long-term prosperity of their own people. For Africa and all nations of the Global South, the CPC’s proven track record built on solid mass roots, efficient developmental governance and fearless self-reform offers a vital alternative perspective — one rooted in results, not empty rhetoric, and worthy of our unbiased, respectful and thorough study. The Global South no longer needs others to dictate our standards of governance; we have the wisdom and experience to judge truth by results, and chart our own paths to a prosperous future.

For decades, Africa’s global image has largely been shaped by external voices, with international coverage often focusing on conflict, disease, poverty, and humanitarian crises. But the rapid rise of social media is creating new opportunities for Africans to tell their own stories directly, authentically, and on their own terms.

In this discussion, we examine the evolving role of digital platforms in reshaping perceptions of Africa and the growing influence of African content creators.

From representation to self-representation

Africa has historically been portrayed through a narrow lens by much of the international media. While these narratives often emphasized crises, they rarely reflected the continent’s diversity, innovation, resilience, and everyday realities.

Today, social media is changing that equation. With hundreds of millions of Africans actively using platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X, individuals now have unprecedented opportunities to share local experiences, celebrate cultural diversity, and present more nuanced perspectives on African societies.

Rather than being subjects of stories told by others, Africans are increasingly becoming the storytellers themselves.

Challenging long-standing stereotypes

One recurring theme was the tendency to portray Africa as a single, homogeneous country instead of a continent of 54 sovereign nations with distinct histories, cultures, languages, and development paths.

Social media has become an effective tool for challenging these misconceptions. Through humor, satire, personal storytelling, travel content, and educational videos, creators are helping global audiences better understand the continent’s diversity while correcting persistent stereotypes.

Authentic local voices carry greater credibility because they reflect lived experiences rather than external assumptions.

Traditional media and social media: Competition or complement?

Digital media has transformed the communication landscape by lowering barriers to entry. Today, anyone with a smartphone and internet connection can become a content creator or citizen journalist.

Unlike traditional media, with its editorial structures, gatekeepers, and established newsrooms, social media enables decentralized participation and instant engagement.

However, this does not diminish the importance of traditional journalism.

Legacy media continues to provide rigorous verification, editorial oversight, accountability, and historical recordkeeping. In many cases, social media now serves as an early indicator of emerging stories, while professional news organizations verify and contextualize information before publication.

Rather than replacing one another, the two ecosystems are becoming increasingly interconnected.

Authenticity over virality

One of the strongest messages from the discussion was the importance of prioritizing impact over clicks.

It is concerning that algorithms increasingly reward sensational headlines and emotionally charged content, encouraging some creators to chase viral success at the expense of accuracy and authenticity.

So a new generation of African content creators is needed. They are intentional about producing credible, informative, and constructive content that contributes positively to public discourse while presenting balanced narratives about the continent.

Owning Africa’s narrative

Despite the opportunities offered by global social media platforms, much of the digital infrastructure remains owned by companies outside Africa. This raises broader questions about platform ownership, information flows, and the continent’s long-term ability to control and amplify its own narratives.

Nevertheless, we remain optimistic that Africa’s growing community of journalists, digital creators, educators, and media entrepreneurs can continue expanding the continent’s voice through collaboration, innovation, and intentional storytelling.

On July 9, during her state visit in China, Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah met with journalists from both China and Namibia, outlining the priorities of her state visit and sharing her vision for the future of Namibia-China relations.

Here’s the President’s briefing.

Thank you, director of ceremonies, honorable ministers, government officials from Namibia and the People’s Republic of China. Members of the media, I am always a friend to the media. When we want to meet, we meet. In fact, in Namibia, we guarantee freedom of press. This way we always give them time as we call them the 5th estate. Having said that, I express my appreciation, first to President Xi Jinping for the invitation, and the people of the People’s Republic of China for the warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation since we arrived. After arriving in China, we had a fruitful bilateral engagement with the provincial and business leaders in Shanghai first, where our Minister of International Relations and Trade has engaged with the business people. I had engagement in Guangzhou and also visited Shenzhen and Chengdu. On those occasions, we were also touring historical, industrial, technical and agricultural institutions. We were very much impressed to see the creativity and advancement in the use of technology here in China. Now we are here in Beijing where we are going to conclude the state visit with a high level engagement that would end up signing memorandum of understanding that will take our cooperation to a high level. Namibia and China share a long history of friendship, build on solidarity, mutual respect, and support during important period of our respective histories. The support by China during our liberation struggle remains deeply appreciated by the people of Namibia. And as they say goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. And that’s why, since establishment of our diplomatic relations in 1990 after Namibia’s independence, our partnership has evolved significantly and was strengthen when we elevated it to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2018.
Today, our friendship is increasingly shaped by our shared aspiration for development, economic transformation, and improvement of the lives of our people. For Namibia, our relationship with China is a strategic partnership that offers opportunities in infrastructure, development, industrialization, trade, agriculture, mining, green, energy, and more importantly, people-to-people conduct. This visit, therefore, represents an important milestone in our bilateral relations and provides an opportunity and strengthens our cooperation to a greater height. The objective of the state visit ascended around strengthening political ties, deepening economic cooperation, and identifying new areas of partnership that supports countries development priority. In the case of Namibia, we have identified our priorities. And for those priorities to be implemented, we have decided to increase rate and investment by attracting value addition, industries, expanding cooperation in agriculture, energy, technology, infrastructure development, and skill development, and strengthening education and cultural exchange. China has made significant contribution to Namibia’s development in infrastructure, education, health, and human resources development. Many Namibians have studied in china and return at home with valuable skills and knowledge that contribute to our national development. We want to take advantage of that. The skills that they have acquired have also to be utilized in our partnership and economic cooperation. Trade between Namibia and China has expanded significantly, increasing from Namibian dollar 15.75 billion in 2022 to a recorded number or amount of Namibian dollar, 40.64 billion in 2025, representing a growth over the years of 158% over a period of 6 years. It continues to grow. In the first 4 months from January to April 2026, it increased by 14.79 billion Namibian dollars. This looks if it was a preparation for the visit, and I’m expecting it to increase more. So therefore, China’s development story offers valuable lessons, particularly the importance of long-term planning, policy consistency, and investment in infrastructure and human capital. Namibia’s circumstances are unique and our development of path must be our own. But there is much that we can learn from China’s experience in industrialization, agricultural productivity, youth empowerment, and skill development. I therefore commend the government of the People’s Republic of China for introducing the zero-tariff policy and the Belt and Road Initiative, which marks a shift in China-Africa cooperation.

The zero tariff policy presents opportunities for African countries, including Namibia, to expand their access to one of the world’s largest economies. However, market access alone is not enough. Namibia needs to strengthen production capacity and enhance value addition in order to take advantage of such opportunities.

In terms of leveraging the Belt and Road Initiative, Namibia’s strategic location makes it a natural gateway to the southern African region. Namibia has more than ports, which are efficiently run in the well-developed transport corridors that positions Namibia to benefit from increased connectivity.

China and African countries can work together by advocating for materialism, fairness, and the reform of international financial institution, as well as trade mechanism to ensure that developing countries have strong voices that must be heard. We share a common interest in promoting a rule-based international system that is more representative and equitable. This is what we advocate as members of the G77 and China in the international forum.

The next chapter of China-Africa relations should be characterized by deep economic cooperation, industrialization, technological advancement, youth empowerment, and greater people-to-people exchange on a partnership and on a balanced manner. I therefore urge the Namibian and the Chinese media to continue telling our own stories from our own perspective. As they say goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. Namibia believes the future of China-Africa relations lie precisely in that spread. So thank you very much.

From July 5 to 11, Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah paid a visit to China, her first state visit outside of Africa since taking office.

Leading a delegation of over 200 people, she sought to deepen cooperation by attracting investment in value addition, industrialization, and expanding collaboration in agriculture, energy, technology, infrastructure, skill development, education and cultural exchanges.

One of the key outcomes of the visit is the elevation of bilateral relations to a China-Namibia community with a shared future for the new era.

What have been other achievements of the visit? What will define the next chapter of China-Namibia ties?

In an exclusive interview with China Africa Talk on July 9, Kaire Mbuende, Director General of Namibia’s National Planning Commission, shared his insight.

1. Could you just share some of the priorities of this visit and some of the outcomes that have been achieved so far?
I think this visit is based on the strategic partnership that Namibia has with China. Since our president came to office, she had to reach out to a number of our friends who have been supporting us over the years, both politically as well as economically. In fact, China was the first country outside Africa to be visited by our president that just underscores the importance that we attach to the relationship that we have with China. The reason that we didn’t want to make this just a political trip, you come to Beijing and you have some political talks, but also we reach out to those provinces. We met the provincial political leadership. We met the private sector. We were also trying to connect some of our own regions in the country with this so that we can also have partnership between some regions in Namibia with Guangzhou or with Shenzhen. So it was a comprehensive trip, but the focus was also on the economy. There’s a lot of interest by Chinese company, especially in critical raw materials. There’s a Chinese company that is already mining uranium in Namibia. We went to look at their nuclear plant. And there are interests across all sectors. We have met people who are interested in agriculture. We met people who are interested in chemical engineering, produce fertilizers, and so on. So it was really all in all a successful trip. But the critical issue is just a follow up. What’s going to happen after the visit? And the president has been saying, “we have to see the result of this visit a few years down the line. And maybe it will even be faster than what one would expect.” We have a huge delegation of private sector people, more than 200 people are here from the private sector. And that shows the interest that our private sector has in China, for partnership. On the whole, I think we are satisfied with the level of engagement. We are satisfied with the commitments we are getting. And you can see that this is really not just talk, but these people who have been to Namibia, who have looked at opportunities, and who are willing to make the investments.

2. Namibia is striving for its industrialization. It has plans to become an industrialized and prosperous nation in 2030. What role can Chinese investment and Chinese companies and technology play in that process?
For me, I have followed development in China from the 70s, the 80s, and 40 years ago I was here, it was a different country. Look at what it is now. That’s a source of inspiration on the one hand. But also, I believe there would be the opportunity for a win-win opportunity. China being a large economy and Namibia being resourceful, that will get us value addition and job creation. And we believe that the few Chinese companies that we reach out will attract other companies also from China to come and invest in Namibia. It will also attract Chinese competitors to also take advantage of this country. So we believe that China has a very important role to play and the Chinese private sector and the government, because we have very close relations. And with minimal investments, we can really see that kind of transformation. Investment is a slow process. It takes time. But I believe that the amount of investment that we expect, both from the private and the public sector, could be attained. And that is what is needed to actually transform our economy into that industrialize, newly industrialized state that we all desire.

3. Value addition does matter. And we know that China actually has been implementing the zero-tariff treatment for African countries. What opportunities does this policy bring to Namibia? And what advantages does Namibia have?
First of all, the zero-tariff policy, it has two functions or the impact will be at two levels. First it will stimulate export from Namibia to China. Secondly, because our products are zero rated, it means the return on that investment or that export will even be higher. So apart from stimulating the export, it means that you get more value for your export, and that will contribute them to state revenue, which can be invested in education and health and so forth. It is indeed a very important policy. And we are grateful for it, and we want to take full advantage of it.

4. Can you share us the potential of Namibia’s green energy sector? What role do Chinese technology and expertise play when it comes to green energy development?
The green energy, Namibia has quite unique potential. I was visiting a site, one of the sites where they are planning to invest in the great production of green hydrogen, using green energy, and primarily solar and wind. Unlike other places where you have sun on the one side and wind on the other, we have the strongest wind and the strongest sun allocated in the same space, that give really a comparative edge. There are some companies that have gone producing green iron, using solar, green, hydrogen, and so forth. On the one hand, the whole issue of green energy was a de-carbonization program, climate change and so forth. But also increasingly, it is becoming an energy security issue. Therefore, the demand has now increased. And we’d like to take advantage of this window of opportunity, because every crisis creates opportunities. I think this is a great opportunity for the green energy transition.
I think China is a little bit of a latecomer into that space, but as usual, coming late and with full force. Therefore, on the green energy front, for example, Chinese equipment already is being acquired by companies in Europe and elsewhere for investment or for their operations in Namibia. And therefore, China is leading in equipment production, in technology production. We see the impact of that in including on the energy transition issue.

5. Last year China entered top ten overseas tourist sources of Namibia. How significant is the Chinese market to Namibia and what are your messages for the potential Chinese tourists?

It’s very very very interesting. The economy is always about population and Chinese is a large population. And also with relative welfare, you have good standard of living, and if you can see the investment from poverty reduction to a more quality of life. As part of that quality of life, tourism would become a factor in that. So we expect a lot of inflow of Chinese tourists into Namibia. We are working at the early stage with Huawei to create what we call a smart city that will create then security and reduce crime. That will automatically also stimulate tourism because if a tourist knows that I can walk safely to any corner of Namibia because of the security that the smart city concept provides. Again, that is another area of interest. And it will have direct bearing on tourism.

Namibia has not been a mass tourist country because of the fragile ecology, but we have the deserts, and we have the wildlife. It’s diverse because some countries have one particular area. We have diverse offering from the desert to the wildlife and now increasingly also to science and innovations. We are busy with putting up an observatory to be able to observe the black hole as it were. So from astrology to wildlife, to desert and the beach which is not so warm, but again, which has got its own attraction. So Namibia is a place to visit, and you will feel safe and feel welcomed.

6. You first came to China back in 1984. Over the years, can you share some of your observations on China’s development?
I think when I came here the first time and the irony of it, I was coming from Europe where I was studying. And obviously and also being a student of economic history, you saw what China was going through the issue of rural poverty. And the China of 1984 and the China of today are miles apart. And China has now become the new world where everything is happening. We see even European companies making use of Chinese technology, American companies making use of Chinese technology. So that is what we have seen a backward to a leader in so many sectors.

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

The CPC has led China through profound transformation, from a country devastated by war to the world’s second largest economy, while lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

The CPC has also maintained close exchanges with many political parties across Africa.

Among its long-standing partners is Zimbabwe’s ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, or ZANU-PF.

What has sustained this relationship for decades? What lessons does ZANU-PF draw from China’s development and governance? And how are the two parties working together today?

Farai Marapira, ZANU-PF’s Director of Information and Publicity, shares his perspective with China Africa Talk.

China Africa Talk: This year marks the 105th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China. How do you assess the CPC’s role in China’s transformation over the past century?
Farai Marapira: The history of China cannot be spoken about without the mention of the CPC. The CPC is the DNA of China. It is the strip and the movement of China. We see it was formed in 1921. We see from 1921 to 1949, it fought for the liberation of the Chinese people, both internally and externally, as the Second World War came. And even after the end of the Second World War, all the economic development of China has been courtesy of the strategies and the implementation of the CPC. And if one is to look at the state in which China was from 1949 when the CPC was firmly in charge, it was taking over a country that was coming from a state of war, a state of invasion, and a state of colonialism by other countries. So China was very debilitated, the poverty level are astronomical, but the CPC, through these initiatives we were speaking of, has managed to turn around until now we speak of China with zero poverty. They have managed to achieve poverty eradication.

China Africa Talk: ZANU-PF has maintained a longstanding relationship with the CPC. How would you characterize the significance of the ties today?

Farai Marapira: We cannot speak of ZANU-PF without mentioning the CPC. From its inception in 1963, and the inception of ZAPU in 1961, there have been relations with the CPC. Our independence journey is courtesy by and large, also to the efforts of the CPC. We find that our President was trained in China, one of the first cadres to go for training. Most of our military training for independence was from China. Our ideological footprint was based also on the Chinese concept. We find that the concept of our people being the water and our combatants being the fish was adopted from the CPC. We have adopted also so many strategies as we have continued our interaction. You will find that the goals and aspirations of the CPC dovetail with the goals and the aspirations of ZANU-PF.

China Africa Talk: What lessons from China’s development journey have been particularly relevant for ZANU-PF?

Farai Marapira: As a country coming from a colonial past and sanctions, we have noted that we also can do well by adopting some of the concepts used by the CPC in the advancement of their people. We noticed that from 1949, the CPC was focusing on an agrarian revolution, ensuring investment in the intellectual capacity of their people, their human capital base. So these are some of the things that we are focusing on. And we’ve also noted that they have also focused on infrastructural development, ensuring that there is a lesser cost of transportation of goods and ensuring that there is a better service in general. And this is also something that we have been achieving under the leadership of President Mnangagwa. We have been working on our own roads. We are now working on our rail, to ensure that we have a seamless infrastructural setup. We have also noted that the CPC has been a global leader in the issue of technology, ensuring that these are great strides happening in technology all care for the betterment of their people and for the ease of the life of their citizens. And this is also one other lesson that we get from the CPC. I can mention the issue of the structural strength of the CPC as a party, the discipline, ensuring there is regular training, so that the CPC becomes the core of the development of the country. And this is something that we are integrating also as ZANU-PF here, ensuring that there is solid discipline, and there is always technical output of those of us that serve within the party.

China Africa Talk: From your perspective, what are the key factors behind China’s governance achievements?

Farai Marapira: The Chinese, under the CPC, have been, notably, very strong on the issue of corruption. They have set a world standard arguably, by ensuring that there is no bird too high, or any creature too small to be punished for corruption. So these are some of the factors and also to ensure that there is transparency. The advent of technology has ensured that there is easier asset-monitoring. So there is a lot of transparency in the way China is running under the leadership of the CPC. So we found that these are the hallmarks of creating a society that has trust within its leaders, a society that has trusted in its governance systems. China is as self- reliant as possible. So we’ve also seen a lot of knowledge transfer from China to us, to also ensure that our engineers and technical people also develop and are able to provide a lot of services internally within Zimbabwe as a country.

China Africa Talk: Under the leadership of the CPC, China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. China has also become the world’s second largest economy. What do you see as the most important driver of this success?

Farai Marapira: Before we look at the technological and other aspects, what builds a country’s character, What the CPC did from 1949, one of their first things as they develop their agricultural sector was to invest in the human capital. So the achievements of China are courtesy of the CPC’s wisdom in ensuring that they set development structures that are solid, that dovetail into the other. An example was the sanctions on chips, on Huawei. But now we see that China is now one of the world’s, if not the world’s leading chip manufacturer. Because of their investment in their human capital, they are now able to circumvent any challenge that comes their way. They’re able to not only navigate, but become leaders in the race of any technological advancement. So we find that these are the lessons that we need to take. And we have adopted this into our education system, where we are now also encouraging our students not to follow that colonial education system, but we have restructured our education system under our President Mnangagwa to ensure that we now have an education system that develops the intellect, develop skills. This is also something that is a parallel between us and the CPC.

China Africa Talk: China and Africa are both members of the Global South. What role can they play together in promoting development, and reforming global governance, especially considering that Zimbabwe has been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council?

Farai Marapira: I think through our engagement, over the years, we share the same world view of non-interference. Our foreign policy is essentially similar. Our president has said Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy to none. We find that China speaks the same language. So these interactions create a unified foreign policy approach. As Zimbabwe becomes a member of the Security Council, this also creates a platform through which our shared ideals, our shared values can have another added voice for that period within the Security Council. We continue to push forward for the ideals which will hold value and all true together. We also continue to push for a world, which we both envision as two countries.

As exchanges between China and Africa continue to deepen, media cooperation has become an increasingly important bridge for mutual understanding and people-to-people ties. Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Zhemu Soda has led a media delegation to visit China recently. In an interview with China Africa Talk, Minister Soda shared his views on strengthening China-Africa storytelling, Zimbabwe’s expectations for China’s zero-tariff policy for African countries, and how Zimbabwe hopes to learn from China’s development experience as it advances its Vision 2030 agenda.

China Africa Talk: How’s your trip so far? Could you please share with us some of the key priorities of your visit to China?

Zhemu Soda: We have been enjoying the purpose of our trip. We traveled very well, and indeed, we are enjoying the Chinese hospitality. To begin with, the trip was motivated by the relationship that we have with the People’s Republic of China, which dates back many decades. From the ministry that deals with information and media, it is quite a large group traveling with me here to China, the purpose being to deepen the relationship and collaboration that we have always had. This time, we also want to ensure that, as people responsible for chronicling the news, we are aware of the things that make China what it is today and better understand its people. So far, we have had an opportunity to understand Chinese history and the values on which China is anchored. We are enjoying the experience, sharing a lot of information, and learning from China’s expertise in the area of information and media.

China Africa Talk: We have seen increasingly frequent media exchanges in recent years between China and Zimbabwe. In your view, what more can both sides do to further enhance our media collaboration and strengthen mutual understanding between our peoples?
Zhemu Soda: Usually, when we have these collaborations, we are sharing information and experiences. As much as this time we are here to learn more from your experiences, I am sure these exchanges are also reciprocal in terms of benefits. The people of China are also benefiting from these exchanges in terms of understanding us much better. So I think these exchanges are very important. Going forward, we must continue because they bring about better understanding of one another and ensure that, as brothers and sisters, we are developing together and doing the best we can for our peoples.

China Africa Talk: We understand your visit also focuses on expanding investment cooperation. China’s zero-tariff treatment to 53 African countries has officially taken effect. What opportunities will this policy bring to Zimbabwe? Can you share some of the signature Zimbabwean products that Chinese consumers can look forward to in the Chinese market?

Zhemu Soda: What Zimbabwe is looking at seriously is to deepen our collaboration, trade ties, and investment ties with the People’s Republic of China. We are looking at our balance of trade, which we think is going to improve, especially because of this special window that has been opened. The removal of tariffs for 53 countries, including Zimbabwe, is a very welcome development, and we would want to seize this opportunity immediately. As we speak, institutions responsible for facilitating trade between our two countries have already started doing research to better understand the Chinese market and how products can move from Zimbabwe into China. We are looking at increasing our level of exports. Africa currently exports between 240 million and 280 million US dollars’ worth of citrus products into China, and that is an area Zimbabwe can exploit extensively. We are good at producing blueberries, avocados, oranges, and lemons. Apart from citrus, we can also export coffee, tea, spices, and flowers into China. Zimbabwe produces quality flowers that can ultimately find their way into the Chinese market through this newly opened window.

China Africa Talk: Zimbabwe is working towards its Vision 2030. China has just kicked off its 15^th Five-Year Plan, focusing on high quality develop development in areas such as science and technology, digital economy and green transition. In terms of those new areas for collaboration, what opportunities are there for Zimbabwe and China to further explore?

Zhemu Soda:

We have been taken through China’s rich history. Beginning in 1953, China embarked on a five-year planning horizon that enabled the country to target specific issues, including absolute poverty, which was eradicated by 2021. What we are learning is that the Five-Year Plans have been very effective, enabling China to achieve specific goals and build capacity that it is now leveraging as it continues modernizing its economy. You spoke about focusing on greening the economy and advancing green energy. There is much more we can do together in that area. Zimbabwe is home to lithium and many other minerals that are critical for the green energy revolution. That is an area where we can collaborate more. Going forward, we want to reach a point where we will be exporting battery-grade products. The kind of collaboration we seek from China is one that enables us to achieve what we envision. As we work toward 2030, we have set targets and aspirations for ourselves, and achieving them will require strong partnerships and collaboration to help us add value to our minerals in Zimbabwe.

China Africa Talk: China did eradicate absolute poverty back in 2021. What have been some of your observations on China’s poverty alleviation drive? What experiences and lessons can Zimbabwe draw upon?

Minister Zhemu Soda: We have been taken through how China managed to achieve the goal of eradicating absolute poverty. The transformation that happened in villages is remarkable. We are aware that some time ago China faced challenges in feeding its growing population and industrializing the country. Those are very important lessons for us. Of course, we have our own endeavors, but we are taking a leaf from how China managed to achieve what it has achieved as a nation. We learned about the work of the Communist Party of China and how some high-profile party members were deployed to villages to become village heads and spearhead development while living within the communities they were assigned to. We also learned about the partnerships that exist between wealthier provinces and those that are less developed as a way of upgrading them and ensuring balanced development. This aligns well with our own approach. Our endeavor is also to leave no one and no place behind in Zimbabwe. We are looking at provinces that are less developed, and support will be given to them through devolution. This kind of collaboration and learning from countries that are more advanced will help us as we work toward achieving our Vision 2030 goals.

The China-Africa partnership is entering a new phase.

Starting May 1, China will grant zero-tariff treatment to 53 African countries with diplomatic ties, opening its vast market of over 1.4 billion consumers to African exports. More than a trade policy adjustment, this move signals a structural shift toward deeper integration, broader access and shared development.

A forward-looking step for China

At first glance, the policy may appear to entail a reduction in tariff revenue, with estimates suggesting China could forgo around 1.4 billion U.S. dollars. However, this reflects a broader, long-term development vision.

By diversifying import sources, China strengthens supply chain resilience amid growing global uncertainty. Closer economic ties with Africa, a continent rich in agricultural resources and raw materials, also contribute to more stable and secure industrial cooperation.

At the same time, the policy creates new opportunities for Chinese companies to invest in Africa. As tariffs are reduced, it becomes more attractive to build supply chains on the continent, process goods locally, and export them to China. This helps leverage Africa’s comparative advantages while supporting China’s industrial upgrading and outward cooperation.

Expanding exports will also support income growth in Africa, which in turn could strengthen demand for Chinese products, from agricultural machinery to green energy equipment, fostering a more balanced and mutually reinforcing trade relationship.

A transformative opportunity for Africa

For Africa, the benefits are both immediate and long-term.

Agriculture is likely to see early gains. As an agrarian continent, Africa produces a wide range of goods, including coffee, tea, nuts, avocados and horticultural products, which are increasingly in demand in China. The removal of tariffs improves the price competitiveness of these products, especially compared to exports from other regions.

More importantly, the opportunities extend to value addition.

The zero-tariff framework supports a shift from exporting raw materials to higher-value processed goods. Instead of shipping unprocessed coffee beans, countries can move towards exporting roasted and packaged products; instead of raw nuts, branded and processed snacks. This move up the value chain is critical for industrialization, job creation and long-term economic resilience.

It also creates space for technology transfer and skills development. As Chinese firms invest in processing, logistics and manufacturing on the continent, local industries gain greater access to equipment, expertise and management experience, supporting long-term capacity-building.

With Africa’s young and rapidly growing population, employment effects are significant. Expanding value chains will empower young people and transform livelihoods for millions.

Areas for further progress

However, zero tariffs do not automatically mean zero barriers. Access to the Chinese market still requires meeting regulatory and phytosanitary standards, including quality, safety and inspection requirements.

Production capacity remains a key constraint. Many African agricultural systems are small-scale and fragmented, making it difficult to supply consistent volumes to a market as large as China. Infrastructure gaps, particularly in transport, storage and logistics, further limit market access, especially for perishable goods.

To fully benefit from the policy, coordinated efforts are needed to modernize agriculture, improve infrastructure, enhance trade facilitation and establish clear export protocols. Greater regional cooperation, including shared processing and logistics networks, could also help improve competitiveness and reduce costs.

In a world marked by fragmentation and uncertainty, China’s policy emphasizes openness, multilateralism and inclusive development. By expanding market access, the policy contributes to a more balanced global trading system and provides new momentum for South-South cooperation.

It also shows that China and Africa are steadfast partners in each other’s development and working more closely to build a more resilient and inclusive world.