CGTN Europe Interviewed Isabel Hilton, Founder of China Dialogue
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00:00Isabel Hilton is the founder of the organization China Dialogue.
00:04Isabel, welcome back, good to see you.
00:06What's the significance of Wang Yi's visit to Africa?
00:10Well, we're reminded every year, at the beginning of the year,
00:13of the value that China places on the Africa relationship
00:17because this is now a 35-year tradition
00:21that the first trip the Foreign Minister makes is to Africa.
00:25Of course, symbolism is important in diplomacy,
00:31but this is a mark of respect, it's a mark of commitment,
00:35of long-term commitment, and it stands for, if you like,
00:39all the investment and trade relationships that China has with Africa,
00:44which come under regular review, regular discussion,
00:47and China is always seeking to develop them.
00:51Many countries have deep footsteps in Africa.
00:54Is China's approach to Africa different from that of the United States,
00:58the EU, and other Western countries?
01:02Well, I think historically, obviously, it's different.
01:06I mean, the distinction that China would make
01:08is that historically it wasn't a colonial power in Africa.
01:11Today, I'm not sure there's such a big distinction,
01:14although there clearly is a big difference in scale.
01:17The EU has its own global gateway program,
01:20which is a development program for Africa,
01:22much smaller than China's investment.
01:26And, of course, the nature of China's investment continues to evolve.
01:30We're not seeing quite as many big infrastructure projects
01:33as we did at the beginning of the Belt and Road Initiative,
01:36but we're seeing an increased importance, for example,
01:39on Africa as a strategic supply chain partner in terms of minerals,
01:46particularly strategic minerals,
01:48and particularly those which are involved in the low-carbon transition.
01:52So I think that if you look at the scale of China's operations in Africa,
01:57that's the key difference between the US and, indeed, the European Union.
02:02Namibia, Congo, Chad, Nigeria.
02:05What are the reasons for selecting these particular countries,
02:08and what might those countries expect to gain from China?
02:14Well, they all have their particular relationships.
02:19Nigeria is a very important influence in West Africa
02:25and an important influence within the African Union,
02:29so enhanced cooperation with Nigeria would be good
02:32for promoting China's interests across the continent.
02:36There's a big energy relationship with Nigeria,
02:39and, indeed, with Chad, important bilateral trade relationships.
02:47So these countries, the visit traditionally picks different countries every year.
02:55The Congo is also, I believe, chairing FOCAC this year,
03:01and this is an anniversary year for FOCAC,
03:03the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation,
03:07which is a big and important part of this relationship.
03:10And I think that we would perhaps expect some advance on the proposal
03:16that Xi Jinping made at the last FOCAC summit last year
03:20that the relationships with African countries be upgraded to strategic relationships.
03:26So I think we'd probably see some progress on that.
03:29Isabel, good to see you. Thank you for that.
03:31Isabel Hilton, the founder of the organization China Dialogue.