These are the 3 strategic topics in China’s President Xi Jinping and Burundi's Ndayishimiye conversation
RegionWeek Newsletter Vol IV, Issue #168 | Tuesday, March 30, 2021
This is RegionWeek Newsletter for the 4th Season (January-June 2021). The content targets Business leaders, Decision-makers, and Young professionals with interests in Burundi and East Africa. Subscribe to stay productive, and competitive in a pandemic and disrupted season.
Dear RegionWeek Readers,
This Monday, President Evariste Ndayishimiye had a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping, a call that revolved around how to improve diplomatic ties, mainly actions to be taken to uphold independence and sovereignty on the international scene. The two Leaders largely discussed joint efforts to safeguard international equity and justice. In today's newsletter, I propose you 3 takeaways from their call.
1. A model of South-South cooperation.
Xi Jinping pointed out that in recent years, the relations between China and Burundi have maintained a high level of development. The two sides have strong political mutual trust and have achieved remarkable results in cooperation in various fields. He noted that the close coordination between the two countries in international affairs has set a model for South-South cooperation.
During the call, President Ndayishimiye emphasized the fact that the cooperation between Burundi and China has brought tangible benefits to the Burundian people, and according to him the two countries will always be good friends and good brothers.
Throughout its history, South-South Cooperation has been recognized as an expression of solidarity between developing countries since the Second World War in various global and regional political events and processes that have been projected to the present day, generating convergence of expectations around shared principles and motivations.
As analysts like Richard Asante clarify it, Chinese officials often claim that their country’s massive involvement in Africa is an example of “South-South cooperation” with tremendous potential to unlock Africa’s development prospects. They maintain that China’s economic involvement in the continent is less exploitative and more relevant to local needs than the North’s. Starting from a relatively small amount of investment in the early 1990s, China has become Africa’s biggest economic partner.
2.Focus on Justice and Equity
Stressing that China is ready to deepen political exchanges with Burundi, the Chinese president also called for exchanges between legal institutions, local governments, and think tanks to better facilitate the two countries' strategic integration and win-win cooperation.
The Burundian side thanked China for supporting Burundi in safeguarding its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national independence. Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China and Burundi should strengthen unity and cooperation and make joint efforts to safeguard international equity and justice.
Commentator Xi Lin notes in his research that the Chinese understanding of Justice and equity emphasizes a people-oriented approach in as much practicing the law and correcting the law where arose a rigidity during its application. The growing China-Africa relations, especially since the establishment of the Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, have stimulated interest on both sides for legal practitioners and scholars to study the legal and judicial systems, practices, and reforms of the other according to Analyst Moses N. Kiggundu.
Although progress has been made both by China and the various African countries, challenges remain. Various attempts are being made on both sides to put and keep in place, judicial systems, institutions, and organizations designed to provide mutually beneficial legal protections for all legitimate actors.
The Chinese government and investors would like to see more legal and judicial harmonization among African states, especially using established regional trade blocs such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern Africa Dedevelopment Community (SADC), East African Community(EAC).
China has signed treaties and agreements with a number of African countries covering areas such as avoiding double taxation (Mauritius), tax evasion (e.g. South Africa), investment promotion and protection (e.g. Nigeria, Tunisia), and commercial and judicial technical assistance (e.g. Egypt). Will Burundi be the next?
Food Security
Another talking point that stood out from Xi and Ndayishimiye conversation was “Food Security”, President Xi suggested that the agricultural demonstration centers built by the Chinese side and the agricultural experts from China will be fully employed to push for more outcomes in bilateral agricultural cooperation and in helping Burundi achieving food security and in the eradication of rural poverty.
The Chinese government has dispatched agriculture experts to Burundi since 2009 to help Burundian farmers become self-reliant in growing Chinese hybrid rice, the Chinese experts cooperated with the Burundian government in helping villagers establish a fund that pools part of farmers' incomes from growing rice to buy seeds, fertilizers, and chemicals for new production. Besides training farmers, the experts also train government officials, agricultural technicians, and researchers in the agricultural sector to ensure technical support
Since 2000 China has started to strengthen its agricultural co-operation with Africa in trade and other commercial activities. For some observers, China’s agricultural investment in Africa has been a source of friction in the relationship, with speculation that China may join the export-oriented ‘land grabs’ by big transnational firms that have occurred since the food crisis in the developing world began with price spikes in the late 2000s.
China’s own experience in agriculture is perhaps as impressive as it is relevant to many countries in Africa. Before reform started in 1979, China was an agricultural society, with more than 80% of its population living in rural areas. The majority of these people were poor, and hunger and poverty were widespread.
China reduced the number of people living in poverty in rural areas from 85 million in 1990 to 35.97 million by end of 2009, thereby achieving the target of halving the proportion of people living in poverty addressed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Thanks for reading!
Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief | RegionWeek.com
RegionWeek is an Independent media project based in Burundi that needs resources to operate at its full potential. You can contribute now, and help the RegionWeek team to publish consistently. Click this link.
Do you have other ideas on how you can help, contact us via +25771939153 (Whatsapp)
OUR NEW SERVICE
Briefing Call
(For executives, Professionals, or Investors with Interests in Burundi and East Africa)
Get Fabrice Iranzi to call you twice a week and brief you on recent news events and their impacts. Get to ask him questions and gain insight on the strategy to adopt in order to benefit from trends and upcoming events.
The first week is Free! Join today
To Check Availability and Book your calls Click here
What you get
30Min Call via Zoom
SMS and Telegram Alerts on Strategic breaking news.
Email directly with Fabrice Iranzi
Exclusive News Audio & Video commentaries
Service available in French or English
TO GET THE BRIEFING CALL CLICK HERE
Thank you very much!
Contact: editor@regionweek.com, Tel +25771939153