Belt, Road seminar participants laud China’s ethnic unity, dev’t model

By Stephen Benjamin

Participants from Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East attending international seminars in China have commended the country’s approach to ethnic unity, governance and economic development, describing it as a model worthy of study by developing nations.

The participants spoke in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of training programmes organised by the Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO) under China’s Ministry of Commerce.

They said China’s development experience, governance practices and management of ethnic diversity offered valuable lessons for countries seeking sustainable growth and social stability.

Mr Kaomo Mohammed Lawan, Head of the Liaison Office, Abuja, National Troupe of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, described the seminar as enlightening and relevant to contemporary governance challenges.

“This seminar is really interesting. It teaches a lot of things that we need to work on in terms of governance, policies, ethics and principles in Nigeria,” he said.

According to Lawan, one of the key lessons from the programme is the role of sound governance in national development.

“One of the major things I have learned is how to curb corruption and promote national development.

“Government policies are the bedrock of governance. Ethics must go hand in hand with culture and the way people live and behave,” he said.

Moraima Changoluisa, a political scientist from Ecuador, said China’s management of ethnic diversity was one of the most significant aspects of the programme.

She noted that Ecuador, like China, is a multi-ethnic society and could benefit from some of the experiences shared during the seminar.

“In Ecuador, we have 20 nationalities and 15 indigenous peoples. China has 56 ethnic groups, yet the government respects their languages, religions and cultures.

“We would like to adopt a similar approach while respecting our differences, especially language,” she said.

Changoluisa also expressed interest in learning from China’s transformation into one of the world’s leading economies.

“We learned about Chinese history, how the People’s Republic started in 1949 and how the country became a strong economy.

“I would like to learn from that process, adopt the positive aspects and share them with my people back home,” she said.

Mr Shihab Al-Busaidi, an architectural engineer with Oman’s Ministry of Housing attending a Smart City Seminar, said the programme provided valuable insights into China’s development model.

“It was a good experience learning about Chinese culture, history, policies, Hong Kong and Macau,” he said.

According to him, China’s industrial transformation and urban development strategies would be useful for Oman’s smart city initiatives.

“Learning from their policies, industrial development and urban planning will help us a lot,” he added.

Also speaking, Mr Mamat Sallah, Director of Cultural Heritage at The Gambia’s National Centre for Arts and Culture, said the seminar highlighted the importance of unity and peaceful coexistence among diverse ethnic groups.

“From the opening ceremony, I observed that the seminar focuses on integrating ethnic groups, promoting peace, harmony and mutual appreciation among communities,” he said.

“In a nutshell, it is about building peace within our societies.”

Sallah commended the lectures for providing a comprehensive overview of China’s historical development and modernisation process.

“The professor explained where China started from and where it is today in terms of revolution and modernisation.

“What impressed me most was a map showing the western and eastern regions of China and how development was strategically implemented based on available resources,” he said.

According to him, China’s approach to regional development offers practical lessons for countries seeking to maximise local resources for economic growth.

“It was a smart way of developing a country by identifying resources in different regions and using them to empower local communities economically.

“This is something I would like to take home, especially for The Gambia,” he said.

Sallah noted that his country possesses significant untapped potential, particularly around the River Gambia, and could benefit from policies that prioritise local resources.

“We have the River Gambia, which is a major resource, yet we still import food.

“This shows the need for policies and strategies that can drive economic development and improve livelihoods,” he said.

The participants said the seminars had also provided opportunities for cross-cultural exchange, networking and sharing of best practices among developing countries.

They expressed optimism that lessons from China’s experiences in governance, economic transformation, ethnic affairs management and cultural development would contribute to policy reforms and sustainable development initiatives in their respective countries.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

(Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)