What are the implications, lessons, expectations, offshoot and insights especially for the world’s black most populated nation – Nigeria? The defining event will hold on October 16 2022 at the Great Hall of the People on the Western side of Tiananmen Square in Central Beijing, China. Other two major contenders for the premier position, a role saddled with the management of the country’s economy and political development are Wang Yang, 67, who supervises a vital political advisory body and Hu Chunhua, 59, a Vice Premier. Yet another promising premiership contestant is Chen Min’er, 61, a Xi protégé but his chances are implausible when Xi’s interest to continue is not in doubt. The incumbency status of Chairman Xi Jinping 69 may be indomitably exercised to see him scale through the Congress hurdles, victoriously, many observers thus expressed.
The weight and value which this expository article carries especially is the enclosure of the excerpts of this writer’s exclusive interview with HE Chu Maoming, China Consul General in Lagos State. Most importantly too, it is quite a good coincidence and a fortuitous period when Nigerians are at a crossroad to decide on the best presidential candidate who will lead them OBVIOUSLY to greater heights come 2023. When political, economical and technological discourse of a nation like China is engaged like this, it only takes either a naive, mediocre or amateur politician to wink at it.
The diligent, committed and result-oriented political leader will pay the maximum attention to every point raised. If I was a partisan politician, I will do the same thing with added zeal and be critically studious about virtually everything concerning China, bottom up. Reason being that time were when China national plagues and calamities were way off worse than whatever you may want to rightly complain about Nigeria, today. But as if in a twinkling of an eye, the lamentations are today turned to laughter and luxury. It is quite dumbfounding to any keen observer how that Asia Tiger nation rose swiftly from zero to hero, obscurity to global fame and limelight, pariah nationhood to the top echelon of world power. Wonderful! Exciting! Worthy of emulation! Indeed humbling. What is their magic? Did some aliens from another planet descend to help them perform certain incredible rituals that transformed their nation from a formerly giant pariah nation crippled with reproaches and liabilities to such an indispensable nation that’s politically, financially and economically stable; ranked second world largest economy, albeit controversially the first? Or have you checked how much is China’s foreign debt profile compared to the staggering figure hanging on the neck of the self acclaimed world first largest economy? Talk about their respective GDP, etc. Let’s leave that for another day … but the foregoing posers are sufficiently thought-provoking and thus the deliberation will make up the body of this piece. Hopefully, there is nothing wrong with one disposed to being curious, inquisitive and teachable?
Before I show the extracts from the said exclusive interview with HE Maoming, let’s have a brief rundown of what the October 16th CCP Congress looks like. Steve Tsang, Director of the University of London’s SOAS China Institute told the Reuters news agency the following, “He will take China to an even more Sino-centric approach to policy, particularly foreign policy,” Tsang’s prediction. He continues,”He will also reinforce the importance of the party leading everything in China, and the party following its leader fully.” But the aspect of Tsang’s foretelling that sparked some deep concern especially with respect to where China revolutionary trajectory stemmed from is the concluding part this way… “Xi’s likely ascendancy to a third five-year term, and possibly more, was set in 2018 when he eliminated the limit of two terms for the presidency.” Talk about the return of, not dynastic communism, but oligarchy blending with blurred democracy, you may have an idea, afteral.
There are key challenging factors awaiting Chairman Xi, 69, if and or when he scales this October 16 reelection huddle to confront headlong. They are the moribund economy, the random public tumult to rising strife and disharmony with the West and escalating tensions over Taiwan, and without doubts the Covid-19 pandemic trails. It is generally believed that Xi is staunchly positioned to clinch a landslide victory, secure a third term in power to propagate his noble vision for the reinvigoration of the Chinese nation for the many more years coming.
As foreign and distant as the above details may sound, it holds certain admonition and tutoring to Nigeria and Nigerians particularly at this prevailing electioneering period of time. Upon this juncture, the most crucial pertinent question I asked Mr Maoming is not disconnected to our national affairs and how it can be improved, but indeed how we may borrow useful ideas and muster courage to implement them, locally. He was asked, “With regards to the upcoming 20th China Communist Party Congress mid October 2022, how will this help foster the bilateral relationship between China and Nigeria. For example, one colossal and outstanding foreign policy projects that President Xi Jinping led government launched in 2013 is called The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R), formerly known as One Belt One Road which is remarkably a global infrastructure development strategy. To what extent can this awesome initiative benefit Nigeria and Nigerians particularly the regional grassroots.
Ans: “The 20th National Congress of Communist Party will be convened on October 16, 2022, specifically. It is a very important meeting for the party and also for China and the Chinese people. It is coming at a critical juncture that the Chinese people are working for the second centinary dream. The Chinese people all over the country are expecting that the Congress will be a success. This Congress will analyze situations, will make plans for the next Five years. It plays an important role in making plans for China development. Talking about BRI, I think the Congress (as I said will make plans for the next 5 years) definitely will produce a lot of plans for the beneficiary nations and other countries that are connected with the development of BRI, as of course such country as Nigeria. So we are very confident that in the next 5 years, the conditions of the partnering countries will improve to a further heights. According to the party’s Congress in March 2021, China National People Congress will have another session. So that’s for the government formation. Everything will be going smoothly according to plans that’s made by the Congress. Therefore, I think that the upcoming Congress will make the bilateral relationship among the countries including Nigeria, better.”
In conclusion, I will drop a quick suggestion that those who believe strongly that fate will favor them, crowning their 2023 electioneering efforts with huge success, should make haste to grab a copy of the Dr Charles Onunaiju classic with the striking title “A Century of The Communist Party of China. Why Africa Should Engage Its Experience.” This uncommon book is a resourceful work for well meaning Africa political leaders, particularly Nigeria, as it expositorily articulates in step by step instructions how a nation may be recovered from damning consequences of bad leadership and at the brink of the precipice to greater status using the blend of specified forms of government where institutions are strengthened and the application of dialectical and historical materialism to revolutionize Nigeria is simplified. It tries also to market the ideology of reforming of our study pattern and the importance of seeking truth from facts.
The suggested disengagement and detachment of Nigeria and Nigerians from consumption to production which will emancipate us from foreign economic slavery and making us the world’s market hub being proposed by a certain presidential candidate may be practically tedious and discomforting, but it is certainly not impossible. No nation has ever achieved visible development who takes pleasure relying almost entirely on others to produce what her populace consume. We cannot afford to be an exception. So help us God. In the concluding series of this fascinating thesis, I will dwell on the tremendous investment efforts China has accomplished within the last 5 decades of her bilateral ties with Nigeria especially those brain child economic programs promoted by President Xi Jinping regime.
Orajiaku, an investigative journalist and security strategist, writes via
08035530832 [email protected]
