West Africa and Asia published on 6 May 2023 an article in Chinese translated as "The New Journey and New Thinking of China-Africa Cooperation in the Era of Great Changes" by Zhou Yuyuan, deputy director of the Center for West Asian and African Studies, Shanghai Institutes of International Studies. The Interpret: China project at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) translated the article into English.
This is an important, comprehensive, and current analysis of China's view of Africa today and its interaction with great powers on the continent. Zhou Yuyuan was a fellow at CSIS in 2017. Reflecting Xi Jinping's policies, the article underscores support for a UN-centered global governance system implicitly led by China. It takes account of Xi Jinping's most recent policy statements aimed at the Global South: the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.
Zhou notes the significance of Africa for China's supply chain security and global industrial competition. He identifies the major problems in China-Africa cooperation and concludes that once again China-Africa relations are in a "critical period." He highlights the need to develop relations with the African Union and African sub-regional organizations and to give greater attention to the African private sector and small and medium-sized enterprises.
In view of all the current talk of great power competition in Africa, Zhou argues rather surprisingly that "We must promote dialogue, coordination, and cooperation between major power in Africa with African countries at the center." He adds that Africa can "promote mutual understanding between major countries, make use of the comparative advantages of major countries, and promote the construction of benign major power relations."
