INTRODUCTION:
China-Africa cooperation has been growing from strength to strength, despite the criticism that comes with some implementation of such relationship. It has been said that China-Africa relations is arguably one of the most enduring partnerships in the literatures of South-South Cooperation. Historically, the relationship between China and African countries have followed a pattern of common and shared interest, friendship and mutual assistance. The reason for this is not far fetched. China and African countries share common philosophical foundation that is influencing the nature of their cooperation.They have collaborated during the liberation and independence struggles against colonialism, have faced common challenges of statecraft and had to look within themselves to proffer solutions to poverty and other development challenges confronting its people. The foundation leaders of Africa and those of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) saw cooperation as a vital strategy to overcoming the common challenges of its people, and that struck a lasting friendship that will stand the test of time.
The friendship between African countries and China did not only lead to cooperation but also created trust, solidarity and respect for each other, as well as the camaraderie to stand by each other in good times and in adversity. Therefore, for over five decades, Africa-China relations have become stronger, more target oriented and transformative. What many observers of international cooperation who are trying to understand the steadfastness of Africa-China relations may not have realized is the philosophy behind this cooperation. Since inception, the Africa-China relations have been founded and guided by the ethics of collectivism, a principle that have shaped the latitude and influence that China-Africa cooperation had, and will have on the global community.
To fully understand collectivism is to look at its opposing concept of individualism. Individualism is associated with independence, autonomy, hegemony and unilateralism. These are socialization processes that influenced western civilization of Europe and North America. On the other hand, collectivism is a concept that promotes inter-dependence, collaboration, community life, rejects hegemony and promote multilateralism. Collectivism is inherently observed in the lives of Africans, Asians and people of the Americas. It is the understanding of collectivism against individualism that made some scholars to delineate global cultural thoughts between the oriental (Global South) and occidental (Western) civilization. Collectivism insists on relationships, public good, inter-connectivity, consultations, negotiations, collaborations and partnerships.
Collectivism comes from a long history of communal understanding of the self and the primacy of the whole as the essence of life. It was the original way of existence until the fragmentation and duality of epistemology that prioritized individualism over and above the whole. Collectivism became the purpose of humanity in the sense that mankind was not created to leave in isolation, but to communicate, interact, collaborate and seek balance and harmony with nature.It was in collectivism that Chinese leadership invoked the reform agenda and integrated the entire citizens to its development goals. For the Chinese, collectivism explains the internal conviction and perception of the people which correspondingly shapes their understanding or world view about politics, economy, culture and spirituality. Collectivism reveals the tendency of human beings to be socially and environmentally interdependent.
In Africa also, collectivism is a principle embedded in the traditional civilization of the people. The expectation was to transform African collectivism into a modern system of societal growth and development. Unfortunately, it became only restricted to cultural application instead of transforming the political, economic and social domain of African lives. Africans did not nurture the refinement of collectivism in education, governance, economy and development, that will work for its people. Collectivism to Africa remained at the level of theories. Notwithstanding, it is at such level that it propelled and influenced the nature and context of Africa-China relations as we know it. Suffice is to say that collectivism goes beyond mere domestic or local interactions but an embedded attitude towards life that aligns with the maturing multilateral global order.
THE PRINCIPLE OF UBUNTU IN COLLECTIVISM
There are values that are inherently African and has shaped the way the African view the world. Ubuntu is a philosophy that defines the African within a context of relationships, without which the individual will never enjoy what makes them human.It simply translates to ‘I am because You are’. It is a universal view held by Africans which holds true that no human being can exist alone. Ubuntu speaks of family, community and natural environment as a total construct of a person. In other words, no individual can live alone or satisfy his or her needs without the input of other members of the society. It spells out the relevance of people around you and the need to build a sustainable relationship with your neighbor. Fortunately, even the Chinese civilization and culture also has a saying that ‘a good neighbor is not bought with a thousand pieces of gold’. According to Zhao Zhenxing (2024), the emphasis is more on living in harmony with one’s neighbor.
Ubuntu is the Chinese version of pursuing the greater good and shared interest, which the Chinese President Xi Jinping always emphasize in many of his engagements with Africa. Collectivism has therefore featured in the political, economic, social and demographic spheres in advancing Africa-China relations despite the identifiable challenges in the implementation of such relationship. Let it be known that collectivism is the point of convergence for Africa-China relations in the face of any criticism that may arise from differences in philosophy, beliefs and governance system.What is without doubt is that,you can find collectivism in every spectrum of human life in both China and Africa.
COLLECTIVISM AND SECURITY:
China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI) is resonating well among African countries. The GSI is offering a credible alternative to the traditional western approach to security in Africa. According to the Institute for Security Studies (2023), the GSI is deepening multilateral engagements that is certain to make impacts on governance, human rights and regional cooperation in Africa. China has become more assertive in playing a mediatory role in the several conflict across Africa. From the war in Ethiopia, the violence in the Sahel region, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW), to the illicit transfer of capital, China is cooperating with Africa in the area of military trainings, technology for peace and other security aids. African countries are amenable to their security cooperation with China because it is built more on consultations, negotiations and coordination with the stakeholders. It shows respect towards collaborative assistance than unilateral confrontations that are usually the traditional approach. The security collaboration between China and Africa will enable local solutions to identifiable challenges, which is possible with an engaging security governance borne out of the culture of partnership, coordination, cooperation and a people driven approach to peace and security.
COLLECTIVISM AND DEMOCRACY:
The friendship between China and African countries did not become strong overnight. It was a conscious and deliberate effort of decades by both parties to cooperate in order to build the livelihood for their people. To govern and provide the satisfaction of a large number of its population, there was the realization that there can be no single system or prescription to fix the plethora of development challenges confronting the people of China and Africa. The adoption of a political system that will integrate good governance and service delivery to majority of its population was nurtured by China and African countries. Fortunately for China, the system they adopted was a democracy that evolved from its philosophical intricacies and reality, to provide for its people. That is why China created a model of democratic governance that suits its national condition and people (Charles Ononuju,2023). China decided on a whole-process democracy to meet the aspirations and development needs of its people. This democracy evolved from its culture and history of collectivism, through negotiation, consultation and experience to forge a common strategy to overcome its century of humiliation.
Africa on the other hand, have been struggling to overcome the impact of colonial subjugation that has swallowed its past and indirectly suffocating its future. Africa’s long interaction with the occidental culture of western values, has negated the impact that collectivism would have made to its democratic development. Democracy in Africa have been going through a lot of debate on the form and character that it should take. Several scholars have suggested the return to the principle of collectivism as the yardstick of measuring Africa’s democratic governance, while others are fixated with the western example.Suffice is to say that democracy is all about the people, and the people of Africa are at liberty to negotiate, consult and accommodate diverse interests that exist in the continent towards a common aspiration. Collectivism is that ingredient that is capable of building the consensus, trust, social justice and integration that is needed to make the people of Africa enjoy the benefit of democracy and equal access to opportunities and development. So far, there is no doubt that Africa-China relations is bringing the world closer together and promoting the understanding of a shared future.
COLLECTIVISM AND DEVELOPMENT
Just like it was observed in democracy, a mixed approach to providing development to a large population of people is gaining acceptance everywhere, especially in the Global South. The challenges of development in many countries could require a home-grown strategy that may defy a single prescription but a cross fertilization of ideas and partnership. This may explain why more development boundaries are being shattered with the emergence and sustenance of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), BRICS Development Bank and other International and Regional Inter-governmental Organizations that were non-existent few decades ago. Take for instance the idea behind the formation of BRICS, which has many countries applying to join the group due to the advantages and benefit it could bring to their development. The interest in joining BRICS by many countries is in the understanding that nations become stronger and the livelihood of the people better, when these countries collaborate, partner and join hands together to work for their collective interest. President Xi Jinping has consistently pledged to “encourage the building of global development and promote common prosperity for all countries”. The interest in the democratization of global development strategies is evident in the increase of political consensus around cooperative development and joint economic governance shaping international development. Hence, regional cooperations, collaborations and partnerships for development are of the spirit of collectivism growing among nations and contemporary political thoughts.
CONCLUSION:
There is hardly any logical reason to deny that the principle of collectivism is taking over global political, economic, security and development spheres. As a result, Africa-China relations is expected to soar in the years to come because the principles that drives such partnership is embedded in a win-win custom. Thus, the livelihood of Africans and the Chinese can only grow and remain sustainably assured if the socio-political, economic and environmental determinants are rooted in the principles of collectivism.
