ISLAMABAD: Africa considers China a trusted and respectable partner, which is why the cooperation summit being held on Thursday (today) in Beijing is of great significance to the region.

“China-Africa Cooperation Summit 2024 is a paramount example of the Chinese vision of a new type of diplomacy,” Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization Research and Development (AIERD) Chief Executive Officer Shakeel Ahmad Ramay said in a press release.

He said China was applying the principles of the ‘new type of diplomacy’, which emphasised on sharing prosperity but without compromising on respect, dignity, the sovereignty of partners and non-interference in internal matters.

“This new type of diplomacy recognises that sharing prosperity is not an act of charity but a responsibility for the well-being of people. In a nutshell, it prioritises investment over talks, development over lectures, partnership over dictations, respect over shaming, and sovereignty over interference,” Mr Ramay went on to say.

He said Africa direly needed such initiatives and partnerships, as Africa was facing multifaceted problems, adding that the region was one of the most food-insecure regions in the world, a situation that demands immediate attention.

It was alarming to note that 57 million people were facing hunger since the outbreak of Covid-19 while 50 million were pushed into the poverty trap in 2020 as a result of corona virus, he said.

Besides, Mr Ramay said the relentless force of climate change was threatening the very fabric of Africa’s economy, society and environment.

“The latest data reveals that African countries are losing an average of 5pc of their GDP due to climate change, and this dire situation has forced many countries to allocate 10pc of their GDP to combat its impacts,” he added.

The AIERD chief said in 2022 alone, the cost of climate change to Africa was a staggering $8.5 billion and exposed 110 million people to its devastating effects.

“It has been estimated that Africa needs $35 billion annually to adapt to climate change, with the goal of staying below a two degrees celsius increase,” he added. Talking about debt, Mr Ramay said the African Development Bank Group had indicated that external debt had increased from $1.12 trillion in 2022 to $1.52 trillion in 2024.

“Africa will have to pay $163 billion to service the debt in 2024,” he added.

Therefore, Africa urgently needs financial resources and investment, but not at the cost of respect and dignity, and against this backdrop, the China-Africa Cooperation Summit 2024 is an important event, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2024