In the jungle, animals mock the tortoise because of its movement but least did they know that the tortoise is wiser but calm.
Upon the self acclaim supremacy of other animals in the jungle, the least respected tortoise shows up with great ideas when the jungle is in crises and, need urgent attention before situations get worse.
Fast forward, to the 21th Century, when more and powerfully recognized countries as regards trade and technology, cant be overlooked; China has been able to establish herself as one of the leading countries if not probably the best, as far as technology is concerned.
The Chinese have been providing aid to countries all over the globe and Ghana is not exempted.
Currently, the economic assistance China provides Ghana is quite enormous as the Chinese aid projects includes, a $6 billion concessionary loan from the China Export Import Bank which Ghana is using to extend her rail network.
This is one of the vehicles that is geared towards enhancing the good tandem between Ghana and China.
Again,we shouldn’t see the Chinese as a problem but rather a blessing in a sense that, Ghana would continue to benefit a lot from the them, if the relationship is strong.
We should also know that when we allow these Chines set up their business here, there will be job creation which will create employment opportunities and also help the country’s ‘GDP’.
When we forster close ties with these Chinese and see them as allies, they will have their peace of mind to go about their businesses in the country without fear of being attack by Ghanaians, as this relationship will benefit Ghanaians especially those in the rural areas.
A strong resistance group must be formed to expose people who tarnish the image of the Chinese in Ghana.
One thing we have to look out for, is to establish a Chinese office to collaborate with the Ghanaian Immigration Service, and help to identify and also help sift their own law-abiding Chinese nationals from the illegal nationals who fly in for illegal activities
The following are some of the points to consider:
1. We can strategize to use investigative journalists to defend the reputation of the good Chinese and their businesses in the country.
2. Do an intensive investigation about the culprits who plot to tarnish the image of the Chinese, and also expose them for people to know that the Chinese are a blessing rather than evil, as it has been speculated in the Ghanaian media and various communities. Since these Chinese cant defend themselves, they can be helped, by the media becoming the mouth piece of/for the Chinese, because they are foreigners and do not always want to fight back.
If the strategy is well executed, it will expose the bad people who instigate Ghanaians against the Chinese.
Attention should be given to this plan to help make Ghana benefit more from the Chinese and also make the Chinese feel comfortable in the country.
Ghana and China have recorded significant achievements that deserve acknowledgment.
It is a fact that Ghana was one of the earliest and consistent advocates and supporters of the admission of China into the United Nations Organization and later a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
It took Ghana, and ex-President J.A. Kufuor, who was a deputy Foreign Minister, who cast the historic vote at the United Nations General Assembly for the admission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations in 1971.
This paved the way for the acceptance of the People’s Republic of China into the international comity of nations and restored its legitimacy as the only true representative of China to the United Nations.
Achievements on the Economic, Trade, and Investment front cannot be overemphasized.
The two countries have deepened their cooperation as China has provided Ghana with much needed economic support in the areas of finance and infrastructure development.
China is currently the largest investor in Ghana by a number of registered projects; it is also Ghana’s biggest trading partner with the total value of trade reaching a record 7.46 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 (Ghana Exports to China, 2.56 billion U.S. dollars and Chinese Exports to Ghana 4.9 billion U.S. dollars) thereby surpassing our traditional partners.
The Government of Ghana has further deepened its economic cooperation with China by joining the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Belt and Road Initiative. Funding from the AIIB and under the BRI initiative is important to support projects critical to Ghana’s national development, particularly in roads, railways, and ports and harbor expansion, among others.
China’s emphasis on intensive infrastructure development, especially in the transport sector, would play a major role in supporting government transformational initiatives such as the One-District-One-Factory, by opening important transport routes for marketing our domestic products. Ghana-China relations can certainly be leveraged for mutual benefit across several areas. I believe that it need not be a one-way relationship.
Meanwhile, since 2011, a group of people have plotted against the Chinese in Ghana, perpetrating falsehoods and creating the impression as though the Chinese are evil.
Writers of this Article will soon bring to readers how the whole plot against the Chinese were crafted, the group of persons involved and how a group of “journalists” were sponsored for that agenda.
By Daniel Benin