Africans are very loyal people, and always wish the best for their friends. Contrary to the despondency and panic that Sino pessimists expected to prevail due to the large number of Chinese nationals living and working in the continent, the mood has been calm. 

Two examples of the solidity of Sino-Africa relations will suffice. One is the fact that Ethiopia is one of the few countries who have maintained direct flights to China.

According The Africa Report, 59 carriers from 44 countries have grounded their flights to China.

Kenya has not rushed to evacuate its small community of citizens still quarantined in Wuhan, comprising mainly of university students.

In solidarity with the Chinese people, the government has maintained that, although homesick, the students are better off in Wuhan, until the crisis subsides.

Kenya has proven to be an invaluable economic and political strategic partner to China.

This kind of relationship runs deep, and Kenya cannot betray such friendship for reasons of expediency.

Conversely, opportunists have been anxiously waiting for Covid-19 to sound the death knell for Sino-Africa relations, in order to take advantage of an imagined vacuum.

For instance, observers of African affairs have not failed to note the enthusiasm with which US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a three-nation Africa tour mid-February.

During a meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Pompeo promised China’s ally the usual pie in the sky.

In a communique devoid of any details or commitment, the two countries were said to have reached an agreement “regarding the strengthening of the holistic and ongoing reform in Ethiopia, to which the United States Government plans to provide substantial financial support.”

On close scrutiny, the insinuation seems that as a top China ally, Ethiopia’s economy will definitely be hit by the current reduction of the high passenger volumes between Addis Ababa and Beijing, due to Covid-19 concerns.

What the pessimists have failed to acknowledge is the fact that, over the centuries, Africa has been built through resilience.

Slave trade and colonialism, two of the most devastating events in the continent’s history, did not destroy the human spirit of the African people.

Although many previous partners have abused their hospitality, Africans have never lost hope for humanity.

Actually, the Covid-19 adversity has produced a lot of Afro-sympathy towards China, only that the continent cannot help much materially in managing the pandemic. 

In recent decades, several African countries have grappled with a few viruses, mainly the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Ebola.

According to the World Health Organisation, 75 million people have been infected with HIV, and about 32 million people have died of the epidemic to date.

Globally, WHO estimates that 38 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2018. Majority of these cases are in Africa.

Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has also grappled with the highly contagious Ebola. By 1 August, 2018, 10 outbreaks had been recorded in 40 years.

According to figures released by the DRC Ministry of Health and WHO, as of 25 December, 2019 there were 3,253 confirmed Ebola cases, and 2,228 related deaths.  

Well, Covid-19 has come with vital lessons for Africa. The crisis has led to government officials examining their countries’ health systems in light of China’s fast and effective response to the outbreak.

The lingering memory is the building of a 1,000-bed health facility in Wuhan in a record 10 days.

Ultimately, China’s predicament is proof to the fact that we are living in a community with a common destiny.

Like the Phoenix, and just as it has done for centuries, China will rise again from the ashes of Covid-19. — The writer is a communication expert and public policy analyst  —[email protected]