When Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke at the recent Doha Forum, he sang China’s praises.
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“We have been benefiting from the cooperation and the attitude of bringing everybody to the table where everyone feels they are winning in the process,” he said. “That is, to my understanding, what China presents.”
Kagame is not alone in his high opinion of China. Across Africa, many countries have had support from the Asian superpower over the years as they paved their way to independence. Once there, they found a strong relationship with China offered other benefits as well.
“Now the cooperation presents more value in terms of trade, investment,” Kagame said.
New York-based think tank Asia Society Policy Institute’s recently released survey appeared to reflect those comments, as years of funding and building megaprojects under its multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative has also seen China build a positive view of itself among the African people.
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According to the data released earlier this month by the Asia Society’s Global Public Opinion on China Project, positive views of China outweighed the negative by about three to one among the nearly 300 people surveyed across sub-Saharan Africa.