New AU headquarters mark strong
China-Africa ties
27 January, 2012 | Times LIVE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Towering above the Ethiopian capital, cloaked in urban smog,
the new Chinese-built African Union headquarters in Addis
Ababa is a bold symbol of China's rapidly changing role in
Africa.
Once seen as strictly interested in extracting raw resources and
investing in infrastructure, China has interests on the continent that
are increasingly shifting to investing in institutions and governments,
experts say.
"The building of the AU secretariat offsets that in a very dramatic
fashion," he added.
Construction of the 99.9 metre-tall building was wholly funded by
the Chinese government at a cost of $200 million. Even the
furnishings were paid for by the Asian powerhouse, and most of the
construction material was imported from China.
The sleek edifice -- Addis Ababa's tallest -- will host the African
Union summit which gathers African heads of state this week.
The centre is set to be inaugurated on Saturday by Jia Qinglin,
chairman of China's political advisory body the People's Political
Consultative Conference.
The building symbolizes China's major stake in Africa -- bilateral
trade between the Asian nation and the continent reached over
$120 billion in 2011, a jump from less than $20 billion a decade
earlier.
Beijing's involvement in Africa dates back 60 years, when Chinese
workers arrived to lay railways tracks and roads.
But there has been a surge in investment in the past 15 years. Until
recently, it focused mainly on bilateral relations. The new building
suggests a push to foment multilateral links.
According to Vines, it is in China's best business interest to push for
stability, especially in the wake of the Arab Spring which saw a
collapse of governments across North Africa.
"It's a recalibration of how China sees Africa. I think the Arab
Spring, in particular Libya, wasn't anticipated by China," he told
AFP from London.
It is also a strategic move on the part of the AU to look outside of
Africa and Europe for partnerships.
The death of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has meant the loss of
major funding for the often short-staffed pan-African bloc.
And China's investment in the AU stretches beyond the
construction of the glimmering new AU building. Last December,
China pledged $4.5 million to the AU's mission in Somalia
(AMISOM) to fight Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents.
China is also a major contributor to United Nations peacekeeping
missions in Somalia, Burundi and Sudan according to UK-based
civil society group Saferworld.
China's ambassador to Ethiopia and the AU, Xie Xiaoyan, recently
said his government's relationship with the AU serves as a central
part of the China-Africa strategic partnership.
That partnership was formalized in 2001 with the launch of the
Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which convenes every three
years. At the last gathering in 2009, China pledged $10 billion in
loans to Africa.
But China views the AU as relatively toothless, according to
political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University Jean-
Pierre Cabestan.
"China has very good relations with the African Union but ... it
knows that the African Union is relatively powerless and finds it
difficult to make decisions," he told AFP in Beijing.
Construction of the new headquarters kicked off in January 2009,
and a team of up to 1200 Chinese and Ethiopian workers laboured
around the clock in two or three shifts to finish it on schedule.
The site boasts three conference centres, a helipad and office space
for 700 people. A bronze statue of pan-African leader Kwame
Nkrumah, former president of Ghana, is slated to be unveiled this
week.
Project coordinator Fantalun Michael said the new building allows
the AU to host major international events and represents Africa's
modernizing image. It also signifies China's growing friendship with
Africa, he said.
"It's a testimony that this relationship will continue in the future," he
said.
But that bond will depend largely on diplomatic relations between
China and Africa, not simply on Chinese-built infrastructure,
according to Vines.
"In 10 years' time, will there be a fuzzy warm feeling that China built
this building? I'm not sure. It will be more about up-to-date
relationships and Chinese diplomacy in Addis," he said.
Courtesy
China-Africa ties
27 January, 2012 | Times LIVE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Towering above the Ethiopian capital, cloaked in urban smog,
the new Chinese-built African Union headquarters in Addis
Ababa is a bold symbol of China's rapidly changing role in
Africa.
Once seen as strictly interested in extracting raw resources and
investing in infrastructure, China has interests on the continent that
are increasingly shifting to investing in institutions and governments,
experts say.
- "China has always
been seen as less
good at dealing with
regions and
continental bodies,"
said Alex Vines,
Africa director of
Britain's international
affairs think-tank
Chatham House.
"The building of the AU secretariat offsets that in a very dramatic
fashion," he added.
Construction of the 99.9 metre-tall building was wholly funded by
the Chinese government at a cost of $200 million. Even the
furnishings were paid for by the Asian powerhouse, and most of the
construction material was imported from China.
The sleek edifice -- Addis Ababa's tallest -- will host the African
Union summit which gathers African heads of state this week.
The centre is set to be inaugurated on Saturday by Jia Qinglin,
chairman of China's political advisory body the People's Political
Consultative Conference.
The building symbolizes China's major stake in Africa -- bilateral
trade between the Asian nation and the continent reached over
$120 billion in 2011, a jump from less than $20 billion a decade
earlier.
Beijing's involvement in Africa dates back 60 years, when Chinese
workers arrived to lay railways tracks and roads.
But there has been a surge in investment in the past 15 years. Until
recently, it focused mainly on bilateral relations. The new building
suggests a push to foment multilateral links.
According to Vines, it is in China's best business interest to push for
stability, especially in the wake of the Arab Spring which saw a
collapse of governments across North Africa.
"It's a recalibration of how China sees Africa. I think the Arab
Spring, in particular Libya, wasn't anticipated by China," he told
AFP from London.
It is also a strategic move on the part of the AU to look outside of
Africa and Europe for partnerships.
The death of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has meant the loss of
major funding for the often short-staffed pan-African bloc.
And China's investment in the AU stretches beyond the
construction of the glimmering new AU building. Last December,
China pledged $4.5 million to the AU's mission in Somalia
(AMISOM) to fight Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents.
China is also a major contributor to United Nations peacekeeping
missions in Somalia, Burundi and Sudan according to UK-based
civil society group Saferworld.
China's ambassador to Ethiopia and the AU, Xie Xiaoyan, recently
said his government's relationship with the AU serves as a central
part of the China-Africa strategic partnership.
That partnership was formalized in 2001 with the launch of the
Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which convenes every three
years. At the last gathering in 2009, China pledged $10 billion in
loans to Africa.
But China views the AU as relatively toothless, according to
political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University Jean-
Pierre Cabestan.
"China has very good relations with the African Union but ... it
knows that the African Union is relatively powerless and finds it
difficult to make decisions," he told AFP in Beijing.
Construction of the new headquarters kicked off in January 2009,
and a team of up to 1200 Chinese and Ethiopian workers laboured
around the clock in two or three shifts to finish it on schedule.
The site boasts three conference centres, a helipad and office space
for 700 people. A bronze statue of pan-African leader Kwame
Nkrumah, former president of Ghana, is slated to be unveiled this
week.
Project coordinator Fantalun Michael said the new building allows
the AU to host major international events and represents Africa's
modernizing image. It also signifies China's growing friendship with
Africa, he said.
"It's a testimony that this relationship will continue in the future," he
said.
But that bond will depend largely on diplomatic relations between
China and Africa, not simply on Chinese-built infrastructure,
according to Vines.
"In 10 years' time, will there be a fuzzy warm feeling that China built
this building? I'm not sure. It will be more about up-to-date
relationships and Chinese diplomacy in Addis," he said.
Courtesy
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