He Wenping, the Program Director at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of West-Asian and African Studies and one of China’s most prominent Africa experts, laid into U.S. and European efforts in Africa.
In an interview in the magazine Guancha, she reflected on Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s recent visit to the continent and framed China’s approach there as championing African leadership in the face of Euro-American meddling:
“Everyone is welcome to ride in the African car, but the driver must be African. We in China also understand Africa’s feelings very well. In the past, Europe and the United States came to us to talk about “China-US-Africa” or “China-Europe-Africa” tripartite cooperation. We proposed that Africa must lead Africa to benefit instead of us planning something behind Africa’s back.”
He Wenping on the U.S. and Europe in Africa:
- WESTERN DOUBLE STANDARDS: “Europe and the United States have begun to talk about “Africa ownership,” but, in fact, there is a bit of discrepancy between words and deeds. They say that Africa is dominant, but in practice it is Europe and the United States that make all of the decisions.”
- DISMISSIVE VIEW OF THE U.S. IN AFRICA: “Although the U.S. government has limited effectiveness in Africa, American NGOs nonetheless have a strong sense of presence in Africa. These NGOs have been working in Africa [for a long time] and have a lot direct contact with local people that penetrates deep into grassroot social activities.” “They also propagate European and American culture and values that brainwash African elites, including the leadership, many of them who graduated from prestigious American schools.”
Read He Wenping’s full interview on Guancha’s website (in Chinese)
