China-Africa: Asia’s fourth African Studies Centre Launched in Macau
Source: Macau Daily Times
The Macau Inter-University Institute (IIUM) took yesterday’s symbolic day - Africa Day - to launch what is now Asia’s fourth African studies centre.
Speaking to the media in the ceremony at the IIUM campus, Ivo Carneiro de Sousa, Vice-Rector for Research and International Relations, outlined the need for another such centre in Asia, and the significance and importance for that centre to be in Macau.
According to Sousa, there exists a “vacuum” in Asia in terms of African studies, there being only three such centres in Tokyo, Kyoto and Mumbai with which IIUM plans to cooperate with.
In China, there are only two associations that hardly have any activity and without any sort of scientific publication.
the Vice-Rector said that the IIUM plans on helping the associations by establishing and publishing their own scientific journals.
The new Center for African Research and Development Studies (CARDS) will be coordinated by three of the IIUM’s own African students.
They are currently completing their PhD degrees at the institute by carrying out “rigorous scientific research on these new economic and commercial relations between Africa and China”, Sousa said.
Sousa emphasized the importance of the relations between Africa and China, something that he went on to elaborate on his opening address to all of those gathered, saying that he viewed these relations on several levels: “political, economic, education, science, science health and social affairs, and peace and security”.
The last one he made a point of explaining, saying that as China becomes ever more dependable on African raw materials, it is becoming ever more keen on promoting stability in Africa so as to ensure access to those materials.
China is also helping Africa by providing it with more than US$6 billion (US$1 billion in direct aid and US$5 billion through Chinese companies in Africa), and the pardoning of 31 African countries’ debt with an amount of US$1.3 billion.
There are more than 750, 000 Chinese workers in Africa at present.
The importance of the CARDS is then to monitor and research these relations on all levels by “taking advantage of the fact that there exists in Macau a forum for the economic and commercial relations between China and Portuguese speaking countries”, Sousa said.
According to him, taking all the existing relations and history between Macau and Africa, it only makes sense for such a centre to be launched in Macau.
Another important factor is the resources Macau possesses to welcome African students, especially those seeking post-graduate studies, and also its ability to provide China with a space to train qualified staff for international and non-governmental organisations that are essential for relations between China and African countries.
On the other hand, Sousa emphasized the growing economic importance that China has in Africa, being, in conjunction with India, Africa’s third largest trading partner after the European Union and the United States, representing a total of 27 percent of all of Africa’s trade.
As to what CARDS can offer in the field of African studies that Asia’s other existing centres can’t, Sousa said that Macau can offer more given its long historical relation with Africa, and the existence of an African diaspora in the territory, along with a several associations of Portuguese speaking African countries.
Editor: Zhu Yanshan