JOHANNESBURG– Chinese scholar Professor Zhang Weiwei says Beijing’s global outlook is different from the colonial powers of the past, insisting that China’s philosophy is about unity and prosperity rather than divide and rule.
The Director of the China Institute at Fudan University in Shanghai shared these views during an interview with South African broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, where he reflected on China’s ties with Africa and the broader shifts in the global order.
Weiwei, who has visited South Africa several times, said China stood with African nations during liberation struggles, including the fight against apartheid, and continues to play a role in infrastructure development, trade, and industrialisation. He pointed to projects such as regional transport networks and the construction of the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa as examples of cooperation that strengthen Africa’s own integration.
According to Weiwei, China’s rise has been driven by long-term planning and heavy investment in education, science, and technology. “Every year, China produces more engineers and scientists than Western countries combined,” he said, noting that the country has outpaced the United States in most critical technologies.
On trade, he argued that Beijing has created alternatives for Africa by offering zero tariffs on most goods from the continent, while the United States has imposed restrictions such as the recent 30 percent tariffs on South African exports. He said this contrast reflects different approaches to globalisation, with China favouring what he described as cooperation built on “discussing together, building together, and benefiting together.”
Weiwei also stressed that violent trade disputes and tariff wars were unfair to the global south, but he maintained that China was confident in its economic strength. “The US economy depends far more on China than vice versa,” he said.
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