The international system has been indeed anarchic, geopolitical in orientation and divisive in structuration. The great war (First World War) was engendered due to European bellicosity and divisions in what informed the so-called mutual defense alliances, assassinations and absolute nationalism. The state system has become more individualistic as against the comity of nations with total commitment to collective interest and self-determination. This engendered the loss of lives between 1914 and 1918 due to such balkanization of states’ borders, interest and lack of human unity. Prior to the outbreak of the great war, nations have been warring among themselves such as the Civil Wars in Europe, colonial expansionism, imperialism, imperial conquest and many more inhumane trails of dehumanization and a sheer exuberance of selfishness by powerful empires and leaders.
In an attempt to curtail such trend of isolationism and barbarism, more destructions were being assured especially at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 where the Treaty of Versailles became a demon that reduced some states to emptiness and created hostilities, movements and ultimately the outbreak of the Second World War. The Versailles Treaty punished Germany presumably that it caused the Great War, it gravitated the May 4th Movement in China and created Hitler’s resolve to invade Europe in what led to the World War II. By 1945, the entire Europe became ruined and devastated due to divisions and destructions. The Harry Truman Doctrine which engineered the American Policy of containment, seeing the Soviet Union as the only threat to American ideological position, created yet, another theatre for international distrust, Cold War and bipolarism. The West saw itself different from the East and expanded that lacuna with hate, propaganda and dangerous rivalry.
The initiative has come to be embraced by world leaders, continental, regional and sub-regional institutions for its significance and architectural design for a better world for mankind. The concept has been incorporated into China’s foreign policy and has been promoted through various fora such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The concept, as it is, can be referred to as Xi’sm which is the grand philosophy and political thought of President Xi Jinping especially in his words when he clearly noted that “united or divided, peace or conflict, cooperation or confrontation?” The rhetorical questions by President Xi have their answers as he puts them “people’s wish for a happy life is our goal, and peace, development and win-win cooperation are unstoppable trends of our times.”
The glaring human suffering, conflicts and divisions have naturally thought us to pursue a different path, not the path that is hitherto known of global dominance, interventionist foreign policy, divide and rule, but a path to international unity, cooperation and peace. The path to working collectively for a shared future for mankind.
The constructive path and the rationale behind building a community of a shared future for mankind is obviously an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity, the pathway is promoting global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, the guiding principle is to apply peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, the common values of humanity, the basic underpinning lies in building a new type of international relations, the strategic guidance comes from the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and the platform for action is high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
China’s modernization aims to increase investment in global development cooperation, and helps developing countries improve their independent development capabilities through high-quality Belt and Road Cooperation. The global community of a shared future is one that allows developing countries work together to make the pie of the global economy bigger and share it with fairness so as to make development both adequate and balanced, and help people of all countries embark on a journey to modernization.
Building a community with a shared future introduces a new approach to international relations which is completely inimical to zero-sum game where one benefits and others loos it. The new approach provides an interlocking assembly of states with shared interest of peace and prosperity, general consensus and common expectations. The concept also provides new features of global governance which are: equity and justice, harmonious coexistence, diversity and mutual learning, and unity and cooperation. A world community with a shared future upholds the virtue of international exchanges where partnership is pursued by treating people equally and extensive consultation which enhances mutual understanding. It upholds the principles of international security, where an enabling environment is created to foster fairness, justice, joint efforts and shared interests. It calls for promoting an open, innovative and inclusive development that benefits all. It advocates for inter-civilizational exchanges that promote harmony and respect for differences. It respects mother nature where all of us live, through building a green economy for development.
In building a community of a shared future in China-Africa Cooperation, it should be understood that such community is for all peoples, all countries of Africa and China and all individuals and groups, with our merging destinies interconnected through thick and thin, navigate towards greater harmony with inclusive, clean and beautiful world that supports lasting peace, security and common prosperity. This was evident in how China helped Africa during the Ebola pandemic and the COVID-19 period. China had dispatched health workers to Africa, Covid-19 Jabs and kits in a greater quantity for Africa’s health infrastructure. China has been supporting the unity, sovereignty and development initiatives of African countries and work together as developing entities for mutual benefits and win-win cooperation.
Nigeria should uphold strongly the principles of collectivism towards Africa as it adopted Afrocentrism in its Foreign Policy posture and champion the course of justice, fairness and inclusiveness. Africa looks up to Nigeria to lead, navigate and pilot the African ship to development. Nigeria needs to pilot well by sharing experience and learning from China’s path to modernization and to jointly build a community of a shared future for mankind.
–Ibrahim, is HOD, Dept of Political Science and International Relations, Uni Abuja and Director, Centre For Contemporary China – Africa Research
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