by Professor Macharia Munene,
International Relations Expert/ Lecturer at United States International University (USIU)
China is a big country in terms of geography and demography but its size and influence is more than just in territory and population. China is now a major economic and geopolitical force in the world. And it can be argued that China’s rise has come at the expense of European cultures – meaning mostly Western Europe and North America – who now see China as a threat to their self-appointed role as world decision makers and shapers of global opinion.
The Europeans and their allies in North America initially ignored signs of the rise from China mainly because of racism that, in their mind, places Euro-culture above everything else. The self-reassuring racism – the belief that people who are not of European extraction cannot positively contribute to society, made them “sleepy” and blind to realities taking place. China noticed and took advantage of this and smoothly did something about it. China opened up and went out of its comfort zone, studied the United States and Britain, and learned from their global mistakes but remained focused on its interests.
Asserting global presence called for strategy to avoid the mistakes that others make. China avoided racism and Western arrogance in dealing with people in other regions, particularly in Africa as it asserted its presence as a global power player.
This strategy is succeeding and enabling modern China to penetrate the rest of the world without much fuss. It quietly flexes its geopolitical muscle while brilliantly downplaying its strength. When the Western powers woke up, they started complaining about some perceived “new China threat” without specifying what the “old” threat was. It turns out that the narrative of China as a “threat” is simply a reaction by former colonial powers in Africa trying to protect their perceived interests in previous colonial states. The “threat” narrative, therefore, targets Chinese successes in Africa rather than in Europe. Subsequently, the impression that comes up is that the Europeans and the Americans would like to mediate African-Chinese relations rather than have the two regions deal with each other directly.
The West’s search for a mediation role in the relations between African countries and China, however, flounders partly because it is racist and unreal. First, for former colonial masters to suggest they can instruct African policy makers on what is good or bad for their countries is insulting to common sense. Suggesting China is a threat to African sovereignty simply implies that African leaders are stupid and therefore need guidance from colonial masters. Second, the narrative is itself an admission of European inadequacies when it comes to changing global dynamics in which each country is looking for its geopolitical niche in world power realignment. Third, it shows that Europe and the U.S. are stuck in an old era of global politics and therefore out of tune with reality. In contrast, in avoiding racist overtones, China appears to have adjusted to the changing realities so well that it ends up offering guidance to the rest of the world.
China’s emergence as player on the global stage came in phases and demonstrates how China plans to advance and protect Chinese interests. This strategy shows China as outward looking. It is particularly focused in promoting President Xi Jinping’s idea of “Socialism with Chinese Characteristic for the New Era” that stresses advancing Chinese interests beyond Chinese borders. African states, like those in Europe or the Americas, are beyond Chinese borders. The Europeans are extremely concerned with visible successes of Xi Jingpin’s global dual strategy of One Belt One Road Initiative and the Common Destiny of Shared Values that is in deep contrast with growing white nationalist isolationism.
The largely white narrative on the new China threat in Africa, therefore, is based on geopolitical envy and racism and is not likely to succeed. Europe and North America will try figure out how to advance and protect their purported interests in Africa by discrediting China through this “threat narrative”. The narrative is simply one of the tools. It is doubtful whether the strategy will work well in the long run because the African countries are also looking after their interests the best way they know how. Many African countries see interacting with a China that wants to do business with them is one of the best ways to do that.
Macharia Munene is Professor of History and International Relations at the United States International University (USIU), Nairobi, Kenya. He also serves as a Visiting Professor at Universitat Jaume-1, Castellon, Spain, and as a Professorial Friend of the National Defense College, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya. He holds PhD in Diplomatic history from Ohio University
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect or represent any official or unofficial position of CGTN, its employees or management.
