Zimpapers Logo

Liu Hongwu and Li Dongsheng 

The 13th meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum was recently held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and over 300 Chinese and African scholars jointly issued the consensus among African and Chinese Think Tanks on deepening global development cooperation.

The consensus, also known as the Africa-China Dar es Salaam Consensus, urged the international community to deepen development cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect, solidarity, win-win cooperation, openness and common prosperity. Its aim is to foster knowledge sharing, intellectual exchange and cultural prosperity.

“If you are not at the table in the international system, you’re going to be on the menu,” United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked during a public forum at the Munich Security Conference in February. 

The analogy reflected the weak-and-strong mentality that is prevalent in the world order.

“Independence, mutual respect and mutual learning, people-oriented development philosophy, and sharing of development dividends” are key words and phrases in the eight major initiatives of the Africa-China Dar es Salaam Consensus. They represent the voices of unity, independence and innovation from the Global South countries as articulated by think tank scholars from China and Africa.

China-Africa co-operation and development have always been driven by a shared commitment and mutual understanding. 

Common development, shared interests, joint promotion of industries, collaborative ecological initiatives, mutual well-being, cultural co-prosperity, joint protection of security, and open, win-win cooperation, as called for in the consensus, not only vividly depict the current state of China-Africa cooperation, but also represent a promising prospect for China-Africa cooperation in the future.

We are not “food” on the dining table, but food producers for the entire world. China-Africa collaboration should be a broader “dining table”. It is high time to put an end to the “table and menu “approach that seeks to divide and pick sides.

Regardless of how turbulent the world is, genuine and friendly relations between China and Africa will remain deeply rooted. China-Africa cooperation, characterised by mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, will persist in uniting people to navigate challenges and successes together.

The core proposition of the China-Africa Dar es Salaam Consensus is to encourage all countries to pursue a development path characterized by independence, mutual respect, mutual learning, and people-centred development. It aims to promote the establishment of an equal, orderly, multipolar world, foster an inclusive global economy, and enhance social productivity by activating the market through the synergy of efficient markets and effective governments.

Against the backdrop of a sluggish global economy and the turbulent geopolitical landscape, as well as rampant unilateralism, protectionism and hegemonism, the emergence of this consensus is timely. 

It fully reflects the expectations of Chinese and African think tank scholars for future development and the strengthening of the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035, bringing greater certainty and stability to a world of turmoil and chaos. — China Daily