Once stood up for China! This president is here

Author: Huang Peizhao, Mao Yufei

Taking advantage of the momentum of the 2023 Trade in Services Fair, President of the Republic of Benin, Patrice Atanas Guillaume Talon, arrived in Beijing today to begin a four-day state visit to China.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously introduced the visit arrangements.Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji will respectively meet with President Talon. President Talon will also attend the Global Service Trade Summit at the 2023 Fair for Trade in Services.

"China has become an undeniable force"

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This visit to China is Talon's third visit since taking office in 2016. In September 2016, Talon, who had been in office for five months, began his first visit to China during his tenure and attended the second Africa Investment Forum in Shanghai. In 2018, Talon went to China again to attend the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation.

·Talon.

During his two visits to China, Talon highly praised China's achievements in construction and development, and also mentioned the need to learn from China's successful experience of reform and opening up, hoping that "state-owned, private, and private enterprises can invest in Benin.".

Over the years, China has been on the list of the most anticipated partners of the people of Benin. On April 2nd this year, the China Benin Economic Forum was held in Beijing, and the President of the Benin Chamber of Commerce introduced various benefits for investing in Benin to Chinese economic professionals. He said, "Benin is a land full of investment opportunities and welcomes Chinese investors from afar.".

Researcher Zhang Yongpeng from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese Academy of African Studies told Global Times that when Western countries and international financial organizations provide assistance to African countries, they often attach a series of political conditions, such as requiring African countries to comply with Western values of "democracy" and "human rights" and to obey the leadership of Western countries, including the United States. Once African countries do not meet the conditions, they will not receive assistance and loans.

The Chinese government's assistance to Africa does not attach any political conditions. Whether in diplomacy, education, economy and trade, infrastructure, agriculture, or healthcare, China has provided assistance to African countries to the best of its ability. The political and economic cooperation between China and African countries is based on equal treatment, mutual benefit and win-win results, which is also an important reason why African countries, including Benin, attach great importance to friendly cooperation between China and Africa.

Talon once mentioned that China's development model has inspired him, and "China's governance has become an example for all developing countries.".

In March of this year, during an interview with French LCI television, Talon stood up for China. At that time, Talon expressed his views on issues such as democracy in Africa and gave high praise to China's governance approach. He said, "China is already an undeniable force. China has given me great motivation. The Chinese model, self-reliance, and good governance should inspire all underdeveloped countries."

·Talon was interviewed by French media.

After hearing Talon's answer, host Robin interjected and used the usual Western media routine: "Mr. President, please allow me to remind you..."

Before Rochebin could finish speaking, Talon immediately retorted, "Democracy is not a fantasy. Some people now accuse some African countries of 'not fully promoting democracy, freedom, and human rights' due to their pro China stance. What I want to say is that the lack of good governance democracy will be as serious a problem as the lack of democracy. That's why democracy and freedom are top priorities, and socio-economic development is also top priorities."

Talon's statement contrasts sharply with the rhetoric of some Western politicians. Professor Li Haidong from the School of Foreign Affairs previously said in an interview, "The President of Benin and the people have a more authentic personal experience in their in-depth exchanges with China."

The governance path of the "Cotton King"

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Talon was elected as the President of Benin in March 2016. When he took over Benin, the national political situation was relatively stable, and the first challenge before him was the economy and people's livelihoods.

·Talon.

For a long time, Benin has utilized its abundant natural resources to develop its agricultural economy. By the end of 2014, Benin had discovered 4.58 billion barrels of oil reserves, 500 million tons of iron ore reserves, and a gold mining area of over 10000 square kilometers. Benin, located near the sea, also has abundant fishery resources, with 300000 residents engaged in fishing and an average annual fishing volume of about 40000 tons. Benin is still a cotton producing country, and the "white gold" it produces is continuously transported to countries around the world.

In order to develop the economy, the Talon government continued to carry out a series of reforms around "cotton".

Before being elected president, Talon was a famous "cotton king" in Benin. In 1958, he was born in Vida, Benin and later obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Dakar in Senegal. In 1983, Talon began to engage in agricultural product packaging and trade. Two years later, he established a company dedicated to serving Benin farmers who grow cotton. Through this company, Talon will expand its investment to hotels, port services, and banking in Benin.

As wealth grew, Talon gradually became involved in politics. In March 2016, he ran as an independent candidate in the presidential election. In the second round of voting, he won with 65% of the vote and was re elected in 2021. After taking office, his first promise was to bring a "new starting point" to Benin.

"Since April 2016, thanks to President Talon's inauguration, Benin's cotton production has significantly increased," Benin journalist Funetur wrote in his article "The Ambition of Benin's Cotton from Production to Processing.".

According to data from the government of Benin, in 2022, the country firmly holds the position of "the largest cotton producing country in Africa" with a cotton production volume of 588000 tons. The cotton industry has created over 40% of rural employment opportunities and fed over 50% of the population. Cotton has also become an important export product for the country, and the country's top wealth mainly comes from the business of investing in cotton and related materials.

Talon also decided to develop the processing industry on the basis of planting. According to the development plan of the Benin government from 2021 to 2026, Benin's "5-year goal" is to "build countries with low levels of industrialization into industrial centers for agricultural product processing, especially for the processing of cashews, cotton, pineapple, and soybeans.".

In addition, the Talon government has attempted a new governance approach for Benin: by improving government efficiency, improving the business environment, etc., making Benin the preferred destination for foreign investment.

In recent years, the Talon government has continuously increased investment in the tourism industry, which is gradually becoming an emerging industry in Benin. In 2022, Benin's GDP was approximately 17.4 billion US dollars, with a per capita GDP of approximately 1463 US dollars.

A hard-earned happy life

It was not easy for Benin to achieve today's results.

This country is located in the central southern part of West Africa, facing the Atlantic Ocean to the south, with tropical rainforests scattered throughout. To the north is a narrow territory, bordering Nigeria to the east, Togo to the west, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. This inland region has a dry climate, often accompanied by northeast winds mixed with sediment from the Sahara Desert.

Benin has a small area of approximately 112000 square kilometers. But it has a long history and civilization, and was once the oldest and most developed region in the coastal hinterland of West Africa.

The history of Benin can be traced back to around 900 AD, with the establishment of cities and the rise of commercial activities. Around the 16th century, Benin saw the emergence of many small kingdoms and emirates, where people lived in tribal villages and raised animals while growing crops. Until now, Benin still retains over 60 tribes, making it a multi-ethnic and multi religious country.

In the 17th century, during its heyday, the Kingdom of Dahomey unified the central and southern parts of Benin. This kingdom maintained stability and prosperity for a long time and was the most powerful West African country at that time.

At the end of the 19th century, European powers invaded West Africa on a large scale. In 1904, Benin was incorporated into French West Africa and became a French colony in 1913. During the colonization of Benin, France engaged in a rampant slave trade here and plundered a large number of precious cultural relics. Nowadays, many exquisite ivory masks and woodcut prints from the Kingdom of Dahomey still remain in the Louvre in Paris, France.

·Benin's carved masks.

In 1960, Benin officially gained independence. At the beginning of its establishment, this country continued to use the name Dahomey. In 1975, the Dahomey Republic was renamed the People's Republic of Benin, and in 1990, it was renamed the Republic of Benin.

At the beginning of independence, the situation in Benin remained turbulent. Due to the "divide and rule" strategy implemented by French colonizers, the relationships between various tribes in Benin are complex and full of contradictions, often leading to major conflicts over power and land. In the 12 years after independence, Benin experienced at least 5 military coups. It was not until Kreku came to power in 1972 that the situation gradually stabilized.

·Kreku.

For over half a century, Benin's economic development path has also been bumpy.

Under the influence of the Soviet Union, Kreku led Benin through a 15 year socialist path. But due to copying the Soviet model without considering the national conditions, his economic construction policy ended in failure. In 1991, Kreku stepped down in disappointment, and his successor Soglo's economic reforms also failed.

In 1996, Kreku returned to power, vigorously developed trade, encouraged diversification and modernization of agricultural products, and actively sought foreign aid. Finally, Benin's economy saw some improvement. However, due to its weak foundation, Benin has long been listed as one of the "least developed countries". According to World Bank statistics, its per capita GDP in 2018 was $902. According to the 2019 Human Development Index released by the United Nations Development Programme, Benin ranks 163rd out of 189 countries, belonging to a "low level of human development".

·A girl selling peanuts by the beach in Benin.

However, despite experiencing setbacks, the people of Benin are still optimistic and open-minded. A Chinese teacher who has been working in Benin for many years told Global People

"I hope Benin can be like China"

On November 12, 1964, Benin established diplomatic relations with China. But at that time, the Benin government did not completely break free from the control of Western countries. In 1966, Benin unilaterally announced the severance of diplomatic relations with China after being wooed. In 1972, shortly after taking office, Kreku announced the restoration of normal diplomatic relations with China.

For over half a century, China and Belgium have established sincere and friendly relations, and cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results.

In 1973, the Benin government proposed to China to help solve its agricultural problems. In the second year, the two countries signed relevant agreements. China has dispatched agricultural experts and technicians to the local area to assist in rice cultivation and the construction of water conservancy and irrigation facilities.

In 2011, to help Benin develop its cotton industry, China and Benin established a bilateral cotton cooperation project, and China actively imported cotton produced in Benin.

·The cotton planting technology project in Benin has started mechanized cotton planting in 2018.

China has also helped Benin build infrastructure such as sports stadiums, hospitals, government buildings, and flood control embankments. Benin's then President Boni Yai greatly praised China's speed. He said, "I hope Benin can, like China, gradually develop from a backward agricultural country to industrialization and become stronger through its own efforts."

This goal is undoubtedly being achieved, and the friendly China Belgium relationship is adding momentum to it.

Talon said that I firmly believe that the cooperation between Belgium and China is unbreakable and will surely achieve greater results.