China’s pragmatic leadership a key lesson for Lesotho, Africa

…75th anniversary celebrations, a story of rising above the tide and achieving set goals leaving no stone unturned

Silence Charumbira

The 75^th anniversary of the of the founding of the People’s Republic of China this week offered another key and profound learning moment for African and indeed Lesotho leaders. It is astounding to say the least what China has achieved in the face of adversity and most of Africa, including Lesotho, can achieve this too with pragmatic leadership.

China has taken great leaps in poverty eradication, economic vitalization, technological advancement and appears to be obsessed with winning on all fronts. However, the wins are not by chance but by intentional actions. They are the outcome of well executed plans over decades.

Trials, tribulations, adversity don’t always determine your fate

Last Wednesday I attended a reception in Maseru where Chinese Ambassador to Lesotho, Yang Xiaokun, gave insights into the major successes that his country has recorded in the last 75 years and I was left inspired to say the least. Often, people, even at individual level; focus on their challenges and negate the opportunities that come with trials.

But with robust leadership, China has focused on the future instead of historical positions of disadvantage or misfortunes. China does cherish and respect it’s history but the minds of the people don’t reside in the past. They’re future focused. They plan for the next century or centuries. Present actions were set a long ago and they do not deviate from those for national good. That’s why leaders don’t plunder all because they know they won’t be around to account when the need to account comes. They don’t spend the future. That ensures that the next generations won’t be bankrupt. They start from a position of advantage and privilege as a nation and not just a few elite families. China here provides a good experience for countries like ours.

In his keynote speech last Wednesday, Ambassador Yang demonstrated this. He demonstrated that, often, it is not the challenge that matters. What is imperative is the action that we take after setbacks.

Said Ambassador Yang: “The past 75 years have witnessed tireless struggles of the Chinese people and monumental transformations of the once troubled nation”.

“The Chinese people have achieved a great leap from standing up, to getting rich, and now to becoming strong. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the party’s central committee with comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has gained historic achievements and undergone historic changes. China’s national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability.

“First, we have wiped away the century-long humiliation and ushered in independence and liberation. On October 1st, 1949, the great leader Chairman Mao Zedong solemnly announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China, putting an end to China’s history as a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. We thus secured the nation’s independence, liberated our people, injected new momentum and confidence into the global anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-hegemonic movements, and provided valuable lessons for other nations’ struggles towards independence.”

The successes that China has registered are evident for all who care to see. According to Xinhua, in the last 75 years, “the country’s economic strength, scientific and technological capabilities, and overall national power have significantly increased, and its international influence has greatly expanded”. Below are some of country’s economic achievements over the past 75 years as captured by Xinhua:

• From 1979 to 2023, China’s economic growth averaged 8.9 percent annually, far exceeding the average global economic growth of 3 percent during the same period.
• China’s average annual contribution to world economic growth was 24.8 percent, ranking first in the world.
• In 1952, China’s GDP was only $30 billion. In 1978, China’s GDP increased to $149,5 billion, accounting for 1,7% of the world economy. Since the reform and opening up, China’s economic aggregate has continued to expand. In 2023, China’s GDP reached $17,8 trillion, accounting for 16,9% of the world’s total and solidifying its position as the world’s second-largest economy.
• In 1985, the number of invention patent applications in China was 8 558. This number had soared to 526 000 by 2011, making China the world leader in this area. As of the end of 2022, China’s number of accepted applications for invention patents reached 1,619 million, firmly securing its position as the world leader.
• In 1950, China’s foreign trade of goods was only $1,1 billion, accounting for 0,9 percent of the world’s total. In 2013, China became the world’s largest goods trading nation. By 2023, China’s total goods trade had reached $5,9 trillion, accounting for 12.4% of the global share, and has consistently ranked first in the world for seven consecutive years.
• Service trade has also undergone tremendous expansions. At the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China’s service trade was almost zero. In 2023, the country’s total service trade import and export volume reached $933,1 billion, ranking fourth in the world.

For all intents and purposes, China, at 75, is a young country compared to its ‘competitors’ on the global scale. But most of the said countries are essentially not competitors anymore. They are trailing. And what’s profound is that as lofty as China’s achievements are, it still cares to stretch a helping hand to countries like Lesotho and other African peers to rise together in “a community of a share future” as espoused by President Xi Jinping.

Sound leadership ensure no one is left behind

According to Ambassador Yang, “The fundamental reason for China’s historic achievements over the past 75 years lies in the robust leadership of the Communist Party of China”.

“Both history and reality prove that without the CPC, there wouldn’t be a New China. Over the past 75 years, the CPC has led the Chinese people through painful struggles, and realized the first Centenary Goal. The success of the Third Plenary Session of the 20^th CPC Central Committee signalled that the CPC will continue to lead the Chinese people in comprehensively deepening reform to advance Chinese modernization, and march resolutely towards the second Centenary Goal…

“…As the Chinese saying goes, “Fire burns brighter when everyone adds wood,” and similarly, an African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, walk alone; and if you want to go far, walk together.” The historic achievements in the past 75 years couldn’t have been possible without the support of our African brothers, including Lesotho. We have always been doing what we can to help African brothers, including Lesotho, develop their economies and improve their livelihoods” he said last Wednesday.

The Forum on China–Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative are two platforms that demonstrate China’s desire not leave anyone behind in terms of development. But what is even more astonishing is how this message and desire is expressed in China.

In his 75^th anniversary speech, President Xi emphasized the importance of leaving no one behind even among local ethnic groups. For a country with over 1,4 billion people and at least 56 ethnic groups, there have been cases of ethnic conflicts among the people. This is not unique to China. But what is profound is how President Xi is driving his country towards ending these problems. He emphasized the need for maximum cohesion among all ethnic groups so that they can strive in unity to achieve the shared prosperity and development.

“On that path, we have adhered to the principle of equality among all ethnic groups, opposing oppression and discrimination among different ethnic groups, which ensures that people of all ethnic groups truly enjoy equal political rights and jointly run the country. On that path, we have handled well the relation between maintaining national unity and implementing regional ethnic autonomy, combining unity with autonomy, and integrating ethnic and regional factors, to see that the Chinese nation becomes a community with a stronger sense of identity and a greater level of cohesion. Practice has proven that this path is a completely correct one,” President Xi said.

It is humbling that the same spirit that President Xi is pushing at home is the same that he is driving abroad.

“It is crucial to firmly establish the concept of a community with a shared future, sharing weal and woe, honor and disgrace, life and death, and destiny, and continuously consolidate the common ideological and political foundation for the unity and struggle of all ethnic groups.

President Xi noted that to advance Chinese modernization and achieve common prosperity, not a single ethnic group should be left behind. He said it was imperative to speed up high-quality development in regions with large ethnic minority populations, promote closer economic connection and integration among all regions, and take solid steps to promote common prosperity among all ethnic groups.

“It is essential to remain committed to ensuring and improving the people’s wellbeing in the course of pursuing development, and do more practical work to meet people’s needs, deliver real benefits to the people and win their approval, so as to meet the people’s aspirations for a better life.”