Goodwill from relationship between equals drives progress, scholar says

Africans have increasing faith that deeper connections with China will keep the benefits flowing from a partnership that contrasts sharply with the one-sided relationships many in the continent feel characterize interactions with Western countries, an African scholar said.

Lemmy Nyongesa, a senior associate fellow at the Africa Policy Institute in Nairobi, said that China's enlightened foreign diplomacy has helped boost its international image, resulting in favorable opinions of the country among African nations. A considerable number of Africans feel that they are treated by Chinese as equals, and that resonates with people who had long felt exploited and unappreciated, Nyongesa said.

In its foreign policy dealings, China is guided by the principles of peaceful coexistence, respect for existing political systems and the right for countries to follow their own path of development in line with their own national conditions, Nyongesa said.

Nyongesa's interpretation of China's foreign policy dovetails with the approach outlined at the recently concluded two sessions in Beijing, with the annual meetings of the country's top legislative and political advisory bodies.

Delivering the Government Work Report at the opening of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress on March 5, Premier Li Keqiang said China will continue to adhere to an independent foreign policy of peace, and a path of peaceful development, to promote the establishment of a community with a shared future for mankind.