Ex-envoy: False ideas must be dispelled

In kenya, a country with high unemployment, newcomers are sometimes made the scapegoats

Kenya needs China. That is the emphatic opinion of Julius Ole Sunkuli, a former Kenyan ambassador to China.

Sitting in his office in downtown Nairobi, where he practices law, the former diplomat is unhappy with negative sentiment some people in the country have toward China.

"China's businesslike approach is what sustained Kenya's ailing economy about two decades ago and we will always need them," he says, referring to the period when development of Kenya ground to a halt after much-needed foreign aid was stopped by international development players.

The aid was pegged to condition - such as public service layoffs, big changes to poverty eradication programs with a lack of a safety net and even electoral changes - that the country and other African governments found onerous.

"At the time, our government increased domestic taxes but these revenues were unsustainable. That was when China came in. African countries needed roads, hospitals, schools and water and the Chinese would come in. It was a win-win situation," says Sunkuli.

Lately, the media has been awash with reports that Chinese workers are occupying jobs suitable for local people. This has created tension in a country that is struggling with unemployment estimated at 45 percent. Chinese goods have long been associated with poor quality, a notion Sunkuli believes has started affecting China-Africa relations.

"Chinese contractors have been clinching lucrative infrastructure contracts based on their price advantage and time efficiency. But if these sentiments continue, it will erode the favorable history cultivated through toil and good relations."

According to the government, Chinese contractors have been able to dominate the industry, which had been held hostage by contractors who won government contracts even though they could not deliver. As a result, projects would stall, go over budget or deliver substandard work. Nevertheless, local companies, many of whom have lost the trust of local governments, have lately been up in arms over the trend of awarding contracts to Chinese contractors, who have gained a reputation of delivering quality work on time.

Unfortunately, misconceptions are slowly eroding China's image in Kenya. It comes at a time when the number of Chinese travelers is picking up both for business and leisure. According to Sunkuli, the number of Chinese visitors increased a hundred fold during his four-and-a-half-year term in Beijing. Sunkuli served as ambassador in China from 2008 to 2012.

Sunkuli says he thinks China needs to step up its diplomatic efforts to counter such sentiments. "This is by correcting the facts."

The first priority is pursuing its plans to relocate some of its manufacturing base to Africa. This will create a two-pronged result in which China would continue to be competitive through using Kenya's cheap and readily available labor, hence maintaining its global position while improving its image by creating much needed employment opportunities.

Kenya boasts of a good workforce, and employment opportunities give locals a sense of ownership in the enterprises where they work. In addition, the interaction with Chinese businesses will produce a greater trickle-down effect in terms of skills and other benefits that is often lacking. "Chinese businesspeople need to, as much as possible, trust more Kenyans. This will definitely touch the heart of the country."

Most African countries are seeking ways of expanding their manufacturing industries. "Tanzania would like to finish their diamonds while Kenya would like to add value to their agricultural produce. Industries owned by the Chinese that manufacture what is consumed locally will make a huge difference."

He calls for African governments to make industrialization for the sake of its citizens. Moreover, the next meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to be held in South Africa at the end of the year, is a suitable forum to develop and design related policies.

He also advises Chinese businesses to support locals' efforts to learn Mandarin. "The language barrier needs to be addressed from every front. If more Chinese-speaking Kenyans provide a (public) image for these businesses, I believe the entities will flourish," Sunkuli says.

There are four Confucius Institutes in Kenya and a similar number exists in South Africa. "Chinese have a deeply rooted culture that is new in Africa. I believe that the continent would provide a bridge between the East and the West, hence expanding Chinese global influence."

Sunkuli says business partnerships will go a long way to further China's win-win policies. "Most African governments will be happy to accommodate more Chinese businesses that bring in technology and work with local entities. We have started seeing the emergence of this trend where Huawei subcontracts local companies to use their technology."

He says the move would allay fears of job insecurity and instead promote the perception that with more Chinese investors coming in, more local job opportunities are created. The move would also help keep youths employed, addressing a great need in Kenya and other countries.

"The Chinese are braver, and I see them bringing their industries without too much fear. The only fear you should have is the security of return on investments.

"We should move away from the former relationship that started when Chinese came to fill the hole that was left by the West. China needs to mutate and focus on manufacturing and not just the export market. This will also help to improve the buying capacity of Africa."

As for the obvious challenges regarding Africa's lack of stalled labor and the cultural divide between Chinese and Kenyan workers, Sunkuli says he thinks these can be easily bridged through more interaction.

"Despite the differences, Kenyans are always willing to face challenges. Given the right time, we can churn out trained professionals and adopt the development mode followed by China. Once the ground starts to move in China, Africa will follow suit."

On the environmental impact of industrialization, Sunkuli says that lessons can be learned from China. "It may not be our immediate concern since our people are still living below poverty lines." He says there should not be an insistence that factories are located in cities - instead, they should be decentralized. "Unfortunately I don't know if this can be achieved soon because most African governments are not committed to this yet."

Counties on the periphery of Nairobi where infrastructure is available are good locations for industry, including counties such as Narok, Machakos, Nakuru, Eldoret and the lakeside region of Kisumu, he says.

"The few selected counties will act as pioneers and pull the rest of the country into development."

He says it would be good for African leaders to visit a place where reform gave birth to modern Chinese industry. "I advise our leaders not to visit Beijing and Shanghai but visit Shenzhen to learn the journey of how China left poverty to be who they are at the moment."

These industries should not only focus on meeting the needs of Kenyans but the 140 million people living across the region.

Regional integration is also supported by the move by China to revive the ancient Silk Road trading route, he says. "The Silk Road fund will benefit viable projects that traverse borders. This will solve the challenges we faced earlier where the Chinese government was shy of funding projects found only in one country."

Sunkuli says that despite occasional hiccups between China and Kenya, diplomacy is the cure.

Commenting on the planned visit to Kenya by US President Barack Obama, he says he is unsure if relations between Nairobi and Beijing will change but relations between Nairobi and Washington will not be the same. "I think it will give diplomats in Beijing food for thought."

Obama will visit Kenya in July, the White House says. Obama is scheduled to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit during his first trip to his father's native country.

Contact the writers through lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/17/2015 page32)