Stop inciting Africa against China

Recently Heritage Foundation, a United States-based think tank, released a report revealing how Chinese infrastructure projects and donated buildings in Africa are aimed at smoothening Chinese espionage on the continent.

China has for the past decades heavily invested in Africa's infrastructure projects aimed at opening up Africa's market under the Sino-Africa co-operation framework. For instance, the roads, airports, railways, power dams and industrial parks built in Uganda are part of the projects being referred to by heritage.

In Uganda for instance, the Chinese government donated the twin towers that houses the offices of the President and the Office of the Prime Minister together with the renovation of State House, Entebbe.

The Chinese government has also gifted computers to at least 35 African governments, renovated government buildings, including offices of presidents, National Assemblies, African Union headquarters, state houses and many others.

These, according to the report, would make it easier for the Chinese to spy on the African and American government, companies and politicians so to favour the Chinese institutions.
The accusations come at the height of US-China blame games played around the genesis and the spread of Covid-19.

Joshua Meservey, the author of the report and also a senior policy analyst for Africa and the Middle East at Heritage, was reported saying that Beijing is challenging the US-led global order that is credited for bringing unprecedented prosperity and stability to the world, including to the US.

The Chinese government spokesperson, however, urged the US to direct its efforts towards helping Africa improve the infrastructure than throwing accusations against China.

Chinese state councillor and foreign Minister Wang Yi summarised the issue in simple terms as "US being attacked by a Political Virus aimed at slandering China".

It has now turned evident that the political and economic fight between the US and China has lost value in other continents and now somewhat relevant and needed exportation to our continent.

We swallowed a lot of similar accusations and counter accusations but on this one, I doubt we are interested!

First of all, spying on Africa is a waste of time because it has no evil intentions whatsoever of attacking any other continent as it is the case for those warning about it.

The real spy!

How comes China wants to use its projects to spy on Africa and not the US using all its over 30 military bases established in Africa and nearly everywhere in the world.

History can as well save us here. The US has a history of spying on countries in Africa to establish whether the administrations have policies which do not serve their interests. They eventually end up sponsoring opposition forces to remove legitimate and democratically elected governments.

It would be necessary now for one competent think tank to research about these spy systems that led for the removal of Governments in Libya, Egypt, Sudan or even in Iraq.

At least since time memorial, China has not attempted to sponsor or even abet to fight any legitimate establishment in Africa and as a minimum, it has not imposed its culture on to us the way others are doing.

The West has and is still imposing its democracy on Africa, not even a single country in Africa has come out to say China is imposing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Neighbouring countries in Africa would have reason to worry if spying on one another in fear of invasion motives but not those from either US which is already here in plenty or even China!

By the way, why would China spy on Africa and should Africa mind about anyone spying on it?
Both the US and China are the biggest world economic giants who obviously supposed to have common positive targets and differences. Africa equally, has a common target with a different path.

In 2015, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni identified 20 strategic bottlenecks that have for long denied Africa an opportunity to development and these were adopted by the African Union during the African Peer Review Mechanism summit held in South Africa.
Unfortunately, as a Ugandan, at least I did not see spying on Africa as one of these bottlenecks therefore it shouldn't waste our time at all.

What Africa needs

Africa for long has been denied the path to industrialisation in order to boost economic progress because of its unimproved infrastructure, China having just left the club of low developing countries realized this and availed itself to fix and is still there to extend assistance.

Should it face all the negativity engineered against it? No, the African young generation should know that the infrastructure being smeared here is what we need and will benefit us and the generations to come.

The writer is a Vision Group Journalist and China-Africa Press Centre Fellow '19.