Background
The 6th China-Africa Youth Festival was held between 18th and 22nd October 2021 in Beijing. The five-day event was hosted by China Soong Ching Ling Foundation under the auspices of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The theme for the event was “Revisiting the CPC’s Centennial Glorious Path, Pooling the Youth’s Wisdom and Responsibilities Together, and Adding a New Chapter to China-Africa Common Development.”
The event attracted over 70 Chinese and African youth delegates including students currently studying in China. We had the opportunity to visit some important sites in Beijing, which included the Museum of the Communist Party of China(CPC), Chinese technology giant Huawei, rural revitalization achievement exhibition at Lipao Village and Badaling Town, as well as venues for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Yanqing district.
John Demuyakor’s contribution to discussions on the roles of political parties in national construction and development
I was invited to represent my country Ghana and students studying in China. As part of my contribution to the debate on the roles of political parties in national construction and development, I presented a paper entitled “Building and Developing a Socialist Country with Chinese Characteristics: Some Evidence of President Xi’s Strong Leadership.”
During my presentation, I enumerated the strong party discipline among members of the CPC and the admirable outstanding leadership of President Xi Jinping, which has consolidated the foundations laid by the founding fathers of the CPC.
Strong, committed, and people-centered leadership is the foundation for progress and prosperity. Under the abled leadership of CPC, China has exhibited strong will and determination to achieve common prosperity for the Chinese people and the global community as well. President Xi’s strong leadership has built renewed China-Africa relationship, which is based on trust and mutual respect. The new chapter of the China-Africa relationship and China’s economic and political influence in Africa is positive.
Interviews with China Radio International and People’s Daily
After my presentation, I was invited to have interviews with China Radio International and People’s Daily.
Interview with China Radio International
My interview with China Radio International centered on how China’s success story in good governance can be replicated in Africa and the rest of the world.
During the interview, I indicated that China under the Communist Party of China, and the dedicated leadership of President Xi has demonstrated to the world that socialism with Chinese characteristics is the ideal governance ideology that developing countries, such as those in Africa and Latin America should embrace.
China’s achievement with Marxist socialist ideology is a clear indication that good and dedicated leadership is needed for the implementation of any political system.
Democracy and other political systems do not automatically yield national construction and development but depend on committed and patriotic leadership. CPC has set a very good template with the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, hence many developing countries learn from China.
Interview with People’s Daily
I began my interview with People’s Daily by summarizing the relationship between China and Africa in terms of China’s foreign aid to Africa in the words of the former Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade:
“China has a much greater sense of the personal urgency of development in Africa than many western nations.”
My interview centered on China’s foreign aid to Africa. During the lecture on China’s foreign aid to Africa, I indicated that China is both a long-established diplomatic partner and a new investor in Africa. China’s role in Africa defies traditional stereotypes and punchy news stories across the globe. China is a major aid donor to Africa, but the scope, scale, and mode of Chinese aid practices are poorly understood and often misquoted in the media.
Leaders, governments, and the people in Africa have overwhelmingly viewed China’s role in Africa positively, welcoming China’s heavy emphasis on government-to-government, and people-to-people exchanges with no strings attached.
Many African leaders and citizens believe that as a fellow developing country, China has more altruistic motives than western governments and corporations.
The people of Africa and their leaders continue to praise China’s contributions to their nations’ infrastructure, highlighting visible improvements of expanded economic activities, job creation for local workers, and tangible improvements to roads, rails, bridges, and other transportation networks, all things that benefit ordinary citizens, if indirectly.
Editor: Zhang Xu Cao Wanchen
