ISSUE NO. 32, FEBRUARY 2018

REMARKS BY PROFESSOR PETER KAGWANJA PREPARED FOR THE SEMINAR ON THE 19TH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA, LAICO REGENCY HOTEL, JANUARY 25, 2018.

H.E. Mr. Wang Xiaohui, the Executive Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office and Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of CPC Central Committee; H.E Liu Xianfa, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of ; Honorable Raphael Tuju, Secretary General of the Jubilee Party; Members of National Assembly and Senate Present; Representatives of Think tanks, academics, the Business Community, the Fourth Estate (Media); Dear Friends; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen.

China’s relation with has grown to a Jubilee Party (JP) of Kenya, high-level whole new level in the recent decades. The delegation from the Communist Party of China-Africa cooperation on multiple fronts China (CPC) and the representatives of has deepened since the 19th National Think tanks to examine the implications of Congress of the Communist Party of China the 19th CPC Congress. (CPC) held from October 18 to 24, 2017 in To our friends from China, I wish to welcome Beijing. In this context, the Embassy of the you home to Kenya, the cradle of human People’s Republic of China in the Republic of kind. The Chinese people are among those Kenya brings together the leadership of the who left the cradle and moved furthest to the

API Research Notes East. They went on to establish a thriving Distinguished Guests, civilization. A small community of Chinese In October 2000, the Forum on China-Africa descents in Lamu Island off the Kenyan Cooperation (FOCAC) was established as coast exists as a testimony, to early contacts an official platform to strengthen Sino-Africa between Chinese and the African people. relations. During the 2015 FOCAC Meeting Distinguished Guests, in , President Xi Jinping announced a “China-Africa industrialization In the 21st century, relation between Africa program”. This is the first 10 new initiatives and China continues to be vibrant. During the designed to redefine China-Africa recent Congress, President Xi Jinping Cooperation in the 21st century. Africa acknowledged the “rise in China’s industrialization will move the continent up international influence, ability to inspire, and the value chain, creating employment power to shape”. This he said rightly, has eliminating poverty and underdevelopment. greatly contributed to “global peace and development”. The Africa dream captured by the Africa Union (AU) agenda 2063 meets the Chinese China’s footprint in Africa is unmistakable. dream in the Belt and Road Initiative, the Today, China is Africa’s leading trading main foreign policy of President Xi Jinping. partner. Chinese investments in Africa exceeded 100 billion dollars by end of 2016. Here in Kenya, the impact of Belt and Road Its foreign direct investment is expected to Initiative is seen in the Standard Gauge rise to 400 billion dollars by end of 2020. Railway (SGR) project, developed to link the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, from China is also investing in energy production the port of Mombasa to Africa Atlantic sea and infrastructure in Africa. By end of 2016, board. Chinese companies had built more than 10 large hydropower stations, 34 power plants It also resonates with the four pillars and nearly a thousand of small hydropower President Kenyatta has identified as part of stations. In infrastructure, China has built 14 his legacy which is food security, affordable airports, 4,335km of highway and 5,756km of housing, manufacturing and inexpensive railways in Africa. healthcare.

China’s Investment is the game changer in The key lesson learnt in the 19th congress, the Continent. is the role of political stability in underpinning

API Research Notes sustainable and long term development. respectively (164 years and 190 years) are Governments, come and go, but political the exception rather than the norm. parties should remain. In Conclusion, The tragedy in Africa is that its political Africa needs strong parties, it needs to parties have a high mortality rate, making the borrow a leaf from the Communist Party of Continent extremely unstable. Parties like China whose “democratic centralism”, has the Communist Party of China (97 Years), underpinned the world fastest economic Africa National Congress (ANC) of South growth in centuries. Africa (106 years), Republican Party and Democratic Party (United States) Ahsanteni Sana! (Thank You).

©Africa Policy Institute, February 2018.

Professor Peter Kagwanja is a former Government adviser and currently the Chief executive of Africa Policy Institute and Visiting Scholar at the .

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API Research Notes Series publishes scientifically valid research outputs that cannot be considered as full research or methodology articles. Its aim is to provide a forum for sharing data, useful information and perspectives on topical issues of concern to the policy and research communities. Articles published under this series cut across disciplines, and include some short articles or opinion pieces that have already been published by the experts of the Africa Policy Institute. Some are brief publications, updates to previous work, abridged versions of research agendas or concept notes or brief reports of policy forums.

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