12 provinces, 20 cities and 10 months of enlightenment

I have had the privilege of being on a 10-month media exchange program in China that gave me the opportunity to travel throughout the country and have dealings with many of those who work in its media.

Our travels took in 12 provinces and 20 big cities and included a visit to the Tibet autonomous region. It partly inspired my book on China's economy and its polity.

Half of the book's eight chapters are dedicated to the political and economic ascendancy of China since 1949 under the governance of the Communist Party of China, with its more than 87 million members, making it the world's largest political party.

I have drawn inspiration, too, from President Xi Jinping's book on governance of China, which has been described as an instruction manual for those who aspire to lead.

In my book I trace the history of China-Africa relations from the times of the struggle for independence, including the apartheid regime in South Africa, and conclude that the symmetrical relationship has benefited both parties, China being particularly thankful for the role African countries played in helping it retake its seat in the United Nations.

In the book I talk of how China was once referred to as a closed economy, which has emerged as the world's second-largest economy, a country that the world cannot afford to ignore.

The national capital that world leaders everywhere head for is Beijing, seeking mutually beneficial deals, and I have proposed that African leaders should not be left behind in seeking China's support in development.

I discovered that from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and from other conflicts throughout history China has drawn lessons and used these as a wellspring for growth and development.

It is astonishing that out of such experience China has grown, something I think African leaders could learn from.

I have suggested that Africa needs to put its colonial history behind it, just as China has done with its history, and turn such experiences to the good.

My attendance with colleagues at two sessions - the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - early this year was also highly enlightening.

I realized that China's democracy is representative, and I believe African countries have a lot to learn from China, especially in governance, something that has produced spectacular economic and social results.

Policymakers in Africa would also do well to emulate China's growth plans and reform programs.

This includes opening up economies to attract investment that addresses the development of the continent and creates jobs.

In the book, I also talk about creating an environment conducive to doing business in the modern age. I believe that leaders who want to do business with China must guarantee peace and long-term policies and programs.

African leaders also need quickly to do away with neocolonialism, something that has not helped in any way in the continent's development.

The media can and should play a critical role in forging closer ties between China and Africa and if they are to do this they need to work together by sharing ideas and conducting exchanges.

For Africa to grow successfully, China can help it in two ways. First, continuing to contribute to the building and upgrading of infrastructure, such as railways and highways. This will help support industrialization, thereby creating jobs and stemming the flow of young talent from the continent.

In their dealings with China, African countries would do well to form regional cooperation groupings when they want help and forming economic zones to attract investment.

For China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/27/2015 page7)