China-Ghana relations to embrace a brighter future
On Wednesday, Mr Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China, will arrive in Accra and embark on the third leg of his four-nation African tour. During the visit, Mr Wang is scheduled to have talks with his Ghanaian counterpart Ms Hanna Serwaa Tetteh and pay a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama to further enhance cordial relations between China and Ghana, as well as exchange views on issues of common concerns.
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Undoubtedly, this visit, marking another official visit by a Chinese Foreign Minister to Ghana since 1998 and proceeding with the tradition that successive Chinese Foreign Ministers choose African countries as the destination of their maiden foreign trip at the beginning of each year, since 1991, fully demonstrates the importance of the China-Africa relations in the overall diplomacy of China.
Economic cooperation
The strong traditional friendship, political mutual trust, close economic ties, among other factors, make it natural and necessary for China to highlight the China-Africa relations. Fortunately, due to our deliberate operation, China-Africa relations have yielded remarkable achievements and captured worldwide attention and acclaim.
The year 2013 marks another extraordinary year for the new development of China-Africa relations.
The Chinese President, Mr Xi Jinping, chose Africa as the destination of his very first foreign visit upon assuming his presidency. During his African tour, President Xi met with over 10 African leaders and signed more than 40 cooperation agreements, including major projects bearing on their national development and people’s wellbeing.
In retrospect, both China and Africa have benefitted from their mutually beneficial cooperation. Africa is a continent brimming with vitality featured by its booming economic development, impressive achievements in poverty reduction, buoyant entrepreneurship and innovation.
Ghana as a shining star
China-Africa Economic cooperation has contributed more than 20 per cent to African countries' growth over the past 13 years. For China, without the precious support and cooperation from its African brothers and sisters, it could not have registered such glittering achievements in various sectors and have a strong voice in the international community within such a short period.
The estimate from the Chinese side shows that the trade volume between China and Africa was expected to hit a new record in 2013 and may exceed $300 billion in 2015. All of these have further buttressed our confidence and belief that, with joint efforts, China-Africa relations will embrace a brighter future against the sluggish world economy.
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China-Ghana relation is an epitome of the ever-deepening relationship between China and Africa. Mr Wang, once setting foot on the land of Ghana, would be surprised by the development Ghana has registered.
It’s well recognised that Ghana now is a shining star in Africa, featuring sound democracy dispensation, fast economic development and favourable investment environment.
Friendship between China and Ghana dates back to many decades. In the 1950s and 60s, the First Generation Leaders of New China – Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai and the first President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, ushered the China-Ghana relations into a new epoch.
In 1964, the Chinese Premier, Mr Zhou Enlai, accompanied by the Foreign Minister, Mr Chen Yi, successfully visited Ghana despite the deteriorating security situation pervading Ghana at that time. In the following years, the Chinese and Ghanaian people sincerely supported and closely cooperated with each other in the endeavour to pursue national independence and liberation and develop national economy, laying a solid foundation for the outburst of further cooperation.
Growth of China - Ghana ties
Figures and facts can facilitate our comprehension about the rapid growth in China-Ghana cooperation in economy, trade, culture and many other areas. In 2010, China-Ghana bilateral trade volume hit $2.056 billion, breaking through $2 billion for the first time.
In just two years, the bilateral trade volume between China and Ghana rocketed to $5.4 billion in 2012, with an increase of 163 per cent since 2010. Stepping into 2013, our cooperation on economy and trade continued the good momentum.
According to the Chinese statistics, the trade volume between China and Ghana in the first nine months of 2013 reached $3.8 billion. Ghana’s export volume to China during this period has seen a year-on-year increase of 46.1 per cent.
The value of newly-signed contracts soared up to about $1.5 billion while the non-financial FDI reached $112 million. More and more, Chinese entrepreneurs divert their attention to Africa and show keen interests in various economic sectors of Ghana, which will further tap the potential of the economy of Ghana and create more jobs for Ghanaians.
Apart from the economic cooperation, the Chinese government also pays attention to the programmes on human resource development, medical treatment and health, as well as education.
Chinese schorlaships
In the 2013-2014 academic year, the Chinese side has provided Ghanaian students with 111 Chinese government scholarships, with an increase of 100 per cent over the 2012-2013 academic year. The medical teams that were dispatched by the Chinese Government have overcome all kinds of difficulties and devoted themselves to developing the medical and health services of Ghana.
The newly-established Confucius Institute, located in the University of Ghana Campus, will play an important role as a bridge connecting our two peoples. And the projects granted by the Chinese government, such as the sports complex in Cape Coast, the campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho and New Century Career Training Institute Expansion Project in Accra, as well as those aided and constructed by the Chinese side such as Kpong Water Supply Expansion Project, Gas Pipeline Project etc are in full progress.
Now, the Chinese invested Sunon Asogli Power Plant accounts for around 14 per cent of Ghana’s electricity generation while the newly-inaugurated Bui Generating Station, financed and contracted by the Chinese side, represents 20 per cent of the installed capacity of Ghana. All of these have proven the effectiveness, efficiency and necessity of the China-Ghana cooperation.
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Strategic opportunities for China ,Africa
We are fully aware that the next five to 10 years are a phase of strategic opportunities for both China and Africa, including Ghana. China, while having reached great achievements in various fields, is still on its way to pursuing well balanced, coordinated and sustainable development and grappling with the weak scientific technological innovation ability, improper industrial structure, extensive mode of development, huge development gaps between different areas and rising social contradictions among other issues, which may hinder us from further development.
That’s why the third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) defines “comprehensively deepening reform” as the only way of tackling the above-mentioned challenges and realising the Chinese Dream featured by the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
It has also come to my attention that President Mahama is pouring his energy into resolving the urgent problems and challenges that face Ghana, accelerating the socio-economic development and improving the well-being of Ghanaian under the Better Ghana Agenda (BGA).
While sharing common historical experience and development goals and enjoying traditional friendship, our two countries need to exchange experience on governance and reform, pool wisdom together, seize the unprecedented opportunities and translate our respective advantages and long-time friendship into substantial development so as to expedite the revitalisation of the two nations.
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I am fully convinced that Mr Wang, carrying out the achievements made during XI Jinping’s African tour in early 2013, will surely bring new vigour and vitality into the existing cordial relationship between Ghana and China.
The approaching Chinese New Year is the year of HORSE, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. I sincerely hope that China-Ghana relations would develop by leaps and bounds just like a galloping horse to embrace an even brighter future.
(The author is the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana)