The Chinese encounter with Africa goes back to the beginning of the fifteenth century, when Admiral Zheng He landed on the East African coast and trading started between China and Africa. By the time the Chinese Communists came to power, Africa was parcelled out among the European colonial powers, and nascent independence movements had only just begun to take the steps towards political fredom which their Asian counterparts mostly took for granted. The Chinese message, of violent revolutionary upheaval against foreign domination, struck an immediate chord with many African revolutionaries. In 1963 Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai embarked on a tour of Africa, carefully selecting countries which had historical links with China. Many African leaders rejected the revolutionary nature of Chinese Communism, preferring peaceful change and stability. Even so, Zhou's high visibility and diplomatic flair helped to overcome to some extent these negative images of China in Africa. Post-1969 African policy was not a total disaster for China. Indeed the overthrow of the "whatever" faction in Beijing's corridors of power, and the implementation of Deng Xiaoping's pragmatic reforms, were a great shock to some idealistic Africans, who clung to a vision of China which no longer existed. China's newest policy was summed up, however, by Hu Yaobang, then Secretary General of the Communist Party, in 1984. Sometimes, to begin with, the Chinese leaders faikled to understand certain African sensibilities. But they went home, assessed their mistales and returned with new policies better attuned to the continent's aspirations and needs. China is now more successful and Beijing is an African Superpower: Africa is really a Chinese continet.
Casalino Pierluigi, 0n novembre 29th 2014