Can common ground outweigh competition for China, India in Africa?

By Wang Dehua Source:Global Times Published: 2015-11-3 0:13:01

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT



The third India-Africa Forum Summit ran from October 26 to 29 in New Delhi, India. It was the largest gathering of foreign leaders held in India since 1983. A total of 54 leaders of African countries and unions have been invited, and around 40 African presidents and prime ministers have participated with over 2,000 dignitaries and delegates gathered along with them.

According to the Indian media, the summit is in competition with the upcoming Sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on December 4 and 5 in Johannesburg.

Close collaboration with African countries will not only safeguard India's maritime security, but also help monitor other nations' military actions in the Indian Ocean. In addition, given its long-term goal of becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council, New Delhi needs support from Africa's 54 countries.

Some analysts believe that India is growing closer to Africa in order to challenge China's influence, and showoff its soft power.

But it is not worth being anxious over India ramping up the race for resources in Africa against China. Beijing and New Delhi can totally realize win-win cooperation and joint development.

Take China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which could bring the African continent quite a few opportunities. African countries are now expecting to speed up the industrialization process as well as modernization of agriculture. They are dedicated to realizing economic independence and self-sustaining development. Meanwhile, after 30 years of reform and opening-up, China has developed a large number of competitive industries and production capacity that can offer complementary advantages when it comes to jointly working with African countries. In this regard, the "One Belt, One Road" program can absolutely connect with the India's Indian Ocean Rim Association.

India's attempt to catch up with China through the India-Africa summit will not be an easy task. The country's investments in Africa are around $30 billion, one sixth of China's. Furthermore, Africa accounts for only 11 percent of India's total exports, while, according to Indian business body Assocham, the relationship is "grossly under-utilized."

Some also argue that India has been dwarfed by China's successive African policy and the frequent visits by Chinese leaders. Modi has only been to Mauritius and the Seychelles, both in the Indian Ocean rather than the African mainland.

Sanusha Naidu, a senior research associate at the Pretoria-based Institute for Global Dialogue therefore said that "India does come a little bit late to the party," while noting that the country's "political engagement didn't correspond with economic engagement." C. Raja Mohan, a foreign policy commentator at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi said that "we can't match the Chinese in terms of resources - but any engagement we do with the Africans at least gives them a choice."

A benign competition between China and India over Africa will actually do both some good. For example, Beijing and New Delhi have already created a model in energy development, in which China, India, Malaysia and Sudan work together for joint ventures to better avoid malignant competition. So far, India is devoting itself to promoting a strategy of diversifying its energy sources, and China might lend a helping hand.

China can also learn from India's experiences of providing assistance to Africa. India pays more attention to technical support and personnel training. China is more focused on large-scale projects and infrastructure construction. On that score, New Delhi's approach is worth to be learned by Beijing.

Although there are differences and divergences between China and India on aiding Africa, there are many overlaps of interests. The two should uphold the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences, and provide assistance to the continent in a more open-minded and cooperative way. Only through that approach can the two realize benefit sharing and win-win cooperation in Africa.

The author is the director of Institute for the Southern and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Municipal Center for International Studies. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn



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