Development example evokes strong interest around world

China's model of government offers lessons for other developing countries, according to journalists covering the 19th CPC National Congress.

Bukola Jasmine Ogunsina, chief correspondent of Leadership, a Nigerian newspaper, and one of more than 1,800 foreign journalists who came to cover the meeting, says she was impressed by the advances made by the world's second-largest economy.

"The new model of socialism seems to be working for China when you consider how far they have developed in such a short period of time," she says.

"China, however, is not forcing Africa to follow in its footsteps. It has made it clear it is up to us to develop our own political system. For my country, it is what works for Nigeria instead of just copying Western or Asian countries."

Getachew Yalew, deputy editor-in-chief of the Ethiopian News Agency and currently on a China-Africa Press Centre exchange program in Beijing, says there was a lot of focus on the congress in Ethiopia.

"China's economic model has certainly been of great interest to Ethiopia. Our government has made great efforts to carry out agriculture reform and build a manufacturing base, much in the same way China started to do nearly 40 years ago."

There have been major Chinese investments in Ethiopia, not least in the Eastern Industrial Zone on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, home to shoemaker Huajian, which has created thousands of jobs.

"We have over the past decade established a number of industrial parks to attract foreign investment. Some of the most high profile of these have been ones in which there has been Chinese investment."

Jack Mwewa, assistant business editor of the Times of Zambia, says Africa could learn from the tough anti-corruption measures that China has taken under Xi Jinping's leadership.

"Corruption is a major issue in many African countries. There are people who have simply got away with corruption because they have money and they are popular, which is not the case here, " he says.

"Many of the corruption cases in Africa take a long time to prosecute. Here (in China) corruption is dealt with expeditiously, and cases are concluded in record time."

Andrey Buzarov, an international relations specialist who writes for the Ukrainian publication The Economist, says it is the success of China's model that Ukraine hopes to benefit from.

"I have visited Hebei province while I have been here and seen some of China's manufacturing firsthand and how it has built its own system, and it is a good positive example for us to share," he says.

"China's success, however, is a result of its own particular approach and it is difficult for us to follow. What countries around the world, including Ukraine, hope to do is benefit in some way from its economic success."

One of the themes in Xi's report at the opening of the congress on Oct 18 was his emphasis on poverty reduction. Around 700 million people in China have been lifted out of poverty since reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, and no fewer than 60 million in the past five years.

Getachew says this is highly relevant to Ethiopia, which has been ravaged by poverty throughout its history, particularly in the 1980s.

"China's poverty alleviation is a vital model for Ethiopia to take the lessons on how to curb poverty.

By learning from China, "we have managed to halve poverty in just two decades, taking 23 million out the quagmire of poverty".

Many at the congress were interested to hear about China's Belt and Road Initiative, one of the major successes of the past five years.

Buzarov says Ukraine, which has been a beneficiary of Chinese investment in its ports, would like to take a full role in the initiative with the country offering China a gateway to Europe.

"Ukraine wants to be part of the initiative, and we already have agreements and memoranda in place about cooperation."

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/27/2017 page16)