Interview: World's developing states set to benefit from China's diplomatic initiatives: expert

Developing nations across the world are set to benefit from China's diplomatic initiatives aimed at promoting peace, environment and economic development.

Kenyan expert said Beijing collaborated with key developed countries in 2015 to deliver global pacts aimed at environmental conservation, promotion of world peace and the social and economic development of poor countries especially in Africa.

Garrison Ikiara of the University of Nairobi (UoN) Institute of Economic Affairs says despite a relative slowdown of the Chinese economy in 2015, Beijing raised its diplomatic profile and stature in global affairs by engaging in a series of activities on a global scale.

"President Xi Jinping engaged in high international activities that clearly underlined the fact that China was ready and willing to play a more proactive role in the global arena," Ikiara told Xinhua in an interview on Saturday.

He said the Chinese global initiatives comprised a wide range of activities intended to showcase the country's interest in promoting global socio-economic development, world peace and security.

"These activities constitute some of the measures the country is undertaking to achieve the main objective of building a global community that is bound by a common destiny," Ikiara added.

To achieve some critical objectives, Ikiara said Beijing launched the Forum for China and Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), an initiative which has cemented the mutual cooperation and respect between China and Africa in the recent past.

"It has become a popular form of exchange of international cooperation and diplomacy between Africa and China," Ikiara said.

Ikiara said by holding the FOCAC Summit in Africa in 2015, Beijing also contributed a major step in promoting the African ownership of the partnership with Beijing.

"FOCAC has emerged as a unique institutional framework which has allowed China to establish rather special development and diplomatic relationship with Africa, significantly different from the average diplomatic relations between development partners and African countries," Ikiara noted.

During the FOCAC Summit in December 2015, Beijing announced a financial package of 60 billion U.S. dollars, covering soft-loans for business and industrial undertakings by African countries.

According to Ikiara, President Xi has also implemented initiatives expected to serve as vehicles for implementing the Chinese diplomatic initiatives, among them, the "One Belt, One Road" Initiative.

The initiative is expected to play a major role in achieving one of China's broad objectives of dramatically enhancing economic connectivity between countries and regions across China, Europe and Africa.

It will be implemented through carefully planned construction of infrastructure in the form of roads, railway and marine transport, Ikiara said.

The initiative is expected to promote rapid integration of the global economy, stimulate new global economic growth not only for China, but for other countries involved in the initiative.

This will enable China to extend its economic and political influence globally and open up trade and development opportunities for the participating countries.

"The proactive nature of President Xi's diplomacy and participation in a wide range of issues of interest to both developed and developing countries is a sign that China is willing to use its muscle as the second largest economy in the world to advance world peace, security and socio-economic agenda in 2016 and beyond," Ikiara told Xinhua.

Analysts particularly take note of the considerable emphasis Beijing has recently placed on developing countries as it develops and formulates key programs in the areas of environment, poverty reduction, and technological development.

"China has deliberately created financial institutions that have greatly strengthened the country's capacity to play an enhanced developmental role in various regions," Ikiara said.

China announced the plans to create the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2015. The fact that European and Asian countries also joined the AIIB is an indication of China's growing recognition as a major player on global affairs.

Other institutions that China has financed with the aim of fast-tracking global economic well-being include the China Development Bank, the China Exim Bank, the Silk Road Fund.

"It is clear that while China has given considerable emphasis on developing countries, it is also prepared to collaborate with other countries ," Ikiara added. Endit