External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed strong and deep solidarity between India and Africa reflects the bonding of the Global South…reports Asian Lite News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday expressed regret that the voice of Africa is not given its proper due in the United Nations. He said so while speaking at the UNSC open debate on ‘Peace and Security in Africa: Addressing root cause of conflict while promoting post-pandemic recovery in Africa.’
“Our support for the Common African Position, as stated in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, is sincere and unambiguous. That is why the issue of reformed multilateralism should be given utmost priority,” Jaishankar said.
He said strong and deep solidarity between India and Africa reflects the bonding of the Global South.
“Our close collaboration is expressed through the India-Africa Forum Summit, as also the G77 and the Non-Aligned Movement. But nowhere is this more evident than in the United Nations itself. It is a matter of continuing regret for us that the voice of Africa is not given its proper due in this most pivotal institution,”
As Africa realises its aspirations, India will always be there for Africa.https://t.co/ED5iZCTOCu
He said “vulnerabilities” of Africa to the Covid-19 pandemic are greater, as such “the world must stand by Africa in this crisis.”
“On its part, India has done so, by supplying medicines, vaccines and health-related equipment to 42 African countries. We are also working in partnership with South Africa and others to address the challenges of accessibility and affordability of vaccines,” the EAM said.
Maintaining that Africa needs partnership beyond the pandemic, he said this continent’s recovery will be facilitated by partnerships that genuinely address its economic sustainability.
“India’s approach was spelt out by the Kampala Principles enunciated by Prime Minister Modi in 2018. In effect, India will respond to the priorities of Africa, as defined by Africans themselves. Our support is without conditionalities and in line with African expectations. This is visible in our 189 projects in 41 African countries being implemented under concessional loans,” he said.
Listing about ongoing support to the continent, the EAM observed, “It is expressed in our providing medicines, health equipment, ambulances, books, vehicles and food grains. Or indeed in the vocational training and IT centres set up across Africa, in the 43,000 education and training slots we have provided over the last five years, or the digital education and health programmes with 17 African partners. Our trade and technology exchanges are steadily growing, in line with closer political and people-to-people ties. Whether it is debt relief or climate change, we treat Africa’s challenges as our own.”
“Bilaterally, India has partnered in the establishment of defence institutions in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Our training teams have been deployed in Botswana, Namibia, Uganda, Lesotho, Zambia, Mauritius, Seychelles and Tanzania. When HADR situations have arisen, such as in Mozambique in 2019, India has been there for Africa,” he maintained. (India News Network)
The expansion of the Djibouti base comes at a time when the QUAD pushes for a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” making the Indian Ocean a focal point of the great power competition between China and the US, reports Atul Aneja
China is digging in Africa with an eye on setting up military bases both along the Indian Ocean in the east and the Atlantic in the west.
China has already established its first military base in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa close to strategic sea lanes that radiate from here in multiple directions towards Asia and Europe.
But a senior US military commander told Associated Press in an interview that China is now also scouting for another base along Africa’s Atlantic Ocean coastline in the west, with an eye on the US.
Gen. Stephen Townsend, head of the US Africa command said that in its search for a naval base, China has approached several countries stretching from Mauritania to south of Namibia.
Other military sources told AP that Beijing is also on the lookout for a naval base in the Gulf of Guinea.
Townsend said Beijing was looking to establish a large navy port that could host submarines or aircraft carriers along Africa’s western coast.
“They’re looking for a place where they can rearm and repair warships. That becomes militarily useful in conflict,” he observed.
The General said that the Atlantic coast concerned him greatly, because of its proximity to the US west coast. In nautical miles, a base on Africa’s northern Atlantic coast could be substantially closer to the US than Chinese military facilities at home in the Pacific.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
But Washington’s other partners in the Indo-pacific QUAD – India, Japan and Australia, would be even more concerned about Chinese search for basing areas along the Indian Ocean coast, starting in Africa and heading in the direction of Myanmar.
Townsend said that China’s first overseas naval base in Djibouti can station as many as 2000 military personnel at the base, including hundreds of Marines.
“They have arms and munitions for sure. They have armoured combat vehicles. We think they will soon be basing helicopters there to potentially include attack helicopters,” said Townsend.
Nikkei Asia is reporting that the Chinese base in Djibouti is being expanded to dock aircraft carriers and other big amphibious warships.
According to Nikkei, the facility is now also capable of handling China’s new Type 075 amphibious assault ships. These vessels have large decks that can accommodate aircraft with short-take off and vertical-landing capabilities.
The first Type 075 was commissioned last month in Hainan at a ceremony that was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The second ship of this class is expected to be commissioned later this year, while another one was launched in January.
The expansion of the Djibouti base comes at a time when the QUAD pushes for a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” making the Indian Ocean a focal point of the great power competition between China and the US.
East of Africa, Chinese companies have been developing and operating other Indian Ocean deep water ports including Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka, and Kyaukphyu in Myanmar. These are on surface only commercial ports, but analysts say that it is possible to add a dual use military dimension to them.
President Joe Biden during the QUAD leaders virutal summit
India-Africa vaccine alliance
India and Africa must forge a vaccine alliance to consolidate gains following US President Joe Biden’s decision to suspend patents that come in the way of mass producing Covid-19 vaccines.
The Biden administration’s brave move, which implies taking on the powerful and highly organised Big Pharma, follows intense lobbying by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization (WTO), along with 60 other countries.
The two emerging economies had called for the temporary lifting of intellectual property rights held by big pharmaceutical companies so that inexpensive Covid-19 vaccines could be mass produced locally.
India, especially, has been hit hard by a massive second wave of Covid-19, forcing it to do away with some of its international obligations to export vaccines, because of an unexpected surge in demand at home.
Unsurprisingly, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had last month discussed lifting the patent protections of coronavirus vaccines during a conversation with Biden, in order to augment supplies.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi also informed President Biden about India’s initiative at the WTO for a relaxation in the norms of the Agreement on TRIPS to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries,” said an official statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs after the dialogue.
China digs in Africa with an eye on its coastline for military bases.(Photo indianarrative)
After Biden’s move, Africa is now celebrating the patents breakthrough, though there are hurdles ahead because of the Big Pharma’s influence in the European Union. Unless all members are on board, including the Europeans, it would not be possible to act upon Biden’s waiver, as the WTO decisions are taken only by consensus.
“This is leadership in action! History will remember this decision as a great act of humanity,” tweeted John Nkengasong Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control & Prevention.
African Union officials are singling out three countries � South Africa, Senegal and Rwanda � as vaccine hubs for Africa. That includes producing mRNA-type jabs that are being viewed as products based on innovative technology to fight Covid-19.
Both Rwanda and South Africa have already shown intent to bond with India to produce life-saving vaccines.
Speaking virtually at the 6th edition of the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics held last month, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda praised New Delhi for the solidarity it had shown with Africa on vaccinations.
“India, despite its own challenges, has produced most of the vaccine doses sent to Africa under Covax and related programmes. Without India’s production capacity and spirit of solidarity it is possible that Africa would not yet have received much vaccine at all,” he said.
He signalled that more ambitious private sector investments between India and Africa were required in the pharma sector.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is also a strong advocate of a vaccine alliance among developing countries, including India. “Developing countries must be made to internalise that hoarding available vaccines and not waiving vaccine patents will lead to immense suffering and tremendous loss of human life. None of us are safe until all of us are safe,” he tweeted on May 1.
Ramaphosa said during May day celebrations that the rise in the number of coronavirus infections and Covid-19- related deaths in India as well as the looming crisis in Brazil make a strong and an urgent case for developing countries to produce vaccines themselves.
“Many developing countries have the capacity and will be able to manufacture their own vaccines much more quickly, efficiently and much cheaper. South Africa in particular must be alive to the real risk of experiencing a third wave of Covid infections during winter,” he observed.
The Financial Times is reporting that South Africa has some of Africa’s most advanced vaccine knowhow, including Aspen, a Durban-based company. The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, also has vaccine-producing experience, making small quantities of yellow fever jabs each year.
That gives plenty of option for collaboration between India’s vast vaccine infrastructure and Africa’s significant capability to scale up the production of jabs on an international scale.
