China-Africa cooperation mutually beneficial in essence -- former S. African diplomat

"The essence of Africa-China cooperation is mutual benefit and common development. Their cooperation has never been and will never be a mere talk shop," a former South African senior diplomat said.

The Africa-China partnership is a mutually beneficial endeavor with huge potential for further growth, a former South African senior diplomat has said.

Gert Grobler, a former South African ambassador to Spain, Japan, and Madagascar, and currently an honorary professor at the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University in East China, made the comments during a recent interview with Xinhua.

"The essence of Africa-China cooperation is mutual benefit and common development. Their cooperation has never been and will never be a mere talk shop," Grobler said. "While bringing tangible benefits to the African and Chinese peoples, Africa-China cooperation has also created more favorable conditions for international cooperation."

Grobler noted that this must be seen against the background of today's world, which is facing increasingly multiple and complex challenges. "As a result, Africa and China are striving to strengthen unity and cooperation with other Global South countries, with a view to jointly tackling challenges and pushing for a more equal, just and rational international order."

Grobler pointed out that the remarkable accomplishments of China's social and economic transformation have served as an inspiration for numerous African countries. They have shown a keen interest in learning from and adopting the best practices employed by China. This is largely because the experiences and development model of China have proven to be highly relevant and influential for many developing countries, particularly those in the Global South.

"Furthermore, Africa has accepted and stands ready to work with China and other developing countries to jointly implement China's Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, among others," Grobler added.

Grobler further said these initiatives are aimed at improving global economic development, practicing true multilateralism, increasing the representation and voice of the Global South in global governance, and safeguarding the shared interests of developing countries toward the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

"When China-Africa cooperation thrives, Global South cooperation will also flourish," said Grobler.

Grobler underlined that the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) remains the flagship collaborative platform between China and Africa. He further emphasized that the FOCAC has continued to deliver wide-ranging, tangible economic and social results.

In his view, since the inception of the FOCAC 24 years ago, China-Africa relations have grown ever closer, and cooperation has produced fruitful results. The success of the FOCAC lies in the commitment of both sides to the purposes of increasing understanding, expanding consensus, strengthening friendship, and promoting cooperation through equal consultation.

In the interview, Grobler also talked about the reason why he, together with 63 African scholars, sent a joint letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"As African scholars, we are deeply encouraged by President Xi's dynamic leadership and strategic contribution, as illustrated at the third plenary session (of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China), which strongly reaffirmed an unwavering commitment to China's modernization through reform and opening up while mapping out a clear path for China's continuous high-quality development," said Grobler.

"We believe it is vital to strengthen both Africa and China studies which would provide intellectual support to bilateral relations. Enhanced collaboration between African and Chinese think tanks and media would allow for an increasing collaboration on the sharing of the common vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind."