From 13 to 18 January, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited four African countries in keeping with the more than three decades of tradition where Chinese foreign ministers start their yearly overseas visits with a trip to Africa. However, while these visits have become a routine for China’s diplomatic practice, they are not an empty ritual. They represent a tradition of China-Africa pragmatic cooperation defined by mutual consultations and tangible outcomes. It is neither opportunistic nor paternalistic, but rather engagement…

China’s Two Sessions that take place in early March provide an opportunity for the world to look into the country’s unique democracy – the whole-process people’s democracy. It is a concept that is misunderstood and wrongly criticised by most Western politicians as it differs from the Western notion of democracy.   As Zhang Weiwei, dean of the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai, said, China’s political system does not claim to be universal. Unlike Western democracy, it does not seek…

The diplomatic protocol of the Chinese foreign minister beginning a year’s foreign visits in Africa highlights the distinct Chinese characteristics and style in its relations with Africa. For more than 30 years, such visits have allowed Chinese foreign ministers to engage in face-to-face discussions and learn first-hand about the economic and social development in Africa, thereby helping China to deepen its understanding of the continent and adjust its Africa policies. These visits reflect China’s diplomatic philosophy of integrating knowledge and…