Zambian businessmen call on Africans to view China's presence in more objective way

China's policy toward Africa demonstrates a win-win situation and Africans need to view China's presence and the China-Africa partnership in a more objective way, Zambian businessmen have said.

Dil Vashi, corporate development manager at Toronto-based CO2 GRO Inc., called on African countries and people to accept and embrace China's cooperation with Africa as it presents a win-win situation.

He rejected the "neo-colonialism" fallacy against China, saying that Africa needs to understand that China is not a threat to the continent and will never be confrontational.

According to him, China has accumulated wealth after years of high-speed growth. "Capital doesn't just sit, capital needs to work and they (Chinese companies) have identified investment opportunities in places where they can get a high return," he explained.

With Chinese investments in Africa, people there could gain more experience and learn new skills to better engage in economic activities, Vashi said, noting that it is not a zero-sum situation.

For Musaba Chailunga, founder and president of Object Oriented Development in Africa (OOD Africa), said it was a pity that some Africans view the presence of China on the continent negatively.

The OOD Africa, a market-based solution organization for economic development and social change, focuses on training developing communities on the application of social enterprise.

For some, China helping African countries build infrastructure such as railways and stadiums "is a form of colonialism, which I don't agree with," Chailunga added.