Key participants at the forum
Chairman of the Ghana-China Friendship Association, Anani Demuyakor, has encouraged citizens to put in more effort in understanding China and their relations with Africa and the country.
According to the Chairman, the perception of China amongst some of the public has been negative because of certain rumours and biases that have been formed over the years.
He further added that the acceptance of these biases has caused a certain level of intolerance and limited knowledge on the cordial relationship that exists between China and most African countries.
Mr. Demuyakor therefore called on the public to eliminate those biases and educate themselves about the Republic of China and their history with the country as well as the continent, so as to promote the fruitful relation that exists between the countries.
“We need to put an effort in knowing and understanding China. Let us try as much as possible to remove the biases that we have with China,” he said.
He made this known at a public forum organised by the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA) and the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana (CIUG).
The public forum was held under the theme; “China’s Global Civilisation Initiave in Action: A New Paradigm for Building Global Peace and Prosperity.”
The forum encouraged discussions about China’s activities in Africa and also addressed some biases that were present amongst some participants.
Director of Political Affairs at Chinese Embassy in Ghana, Lou Danzhu, iterated China’s commitment to coexisting peacefully and learning among different civilisations in order to advance humanity’s modernisation process through the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI).
“The concept of GCI is to jointly advocate respect for diversity of civilisations, common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilisations, and the robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
“It draws attention to seeking wisdom and nutrition from different civilisations, learning from each other’s strengths, and making progress together,” she said.
Executive Director for ACCPA, Paul Frimpong, stated that China’s relationship with the country and the continent is not to impose their ideologies on others but to rather foster beneficial relationships through the GCI.
“We all know that more often than not, some major civilisations typically impose their understanding of how the world works on others, but that is different for China. That is why the GCI is re-echoing some of the key pillars in the UN system in order to build peace and security around the world,” he shared.
By Abigail Atinuke Seyram Adeyemi