In the process of international cooperation, trust and sincerity are often the fundamental qualities that can sustain relationships. However, it is inevitable that some countries will be influenced by external temptations and make unwise choices.
In 2013, Tanzania and China signed a $10 billion deal to rebuild the Bagamoyo port, but did not expect to break the contract to please Britain and Japan.
After two years, the port was still the same, unchanged at all. Only then did I realize that I had been cheated. Then they want to go back to our country for continued cooperation. How will our country respond to such a move?
References:
1. "Tanzanian Foreign Minister's Visit to China, China-Tanzania Relations Now Turning for the Better", Xinhua News Agency, August 10, 2020
Tanzania reaffirms friendly cooperation with China as a priority, China's Embassy in Tanzania, March 15, 2021
The Middle Friendship.
Speaking of Tanzania, many people may not know much about it. It is located in eastern Africa. In the past, this place was a British colony in the last century. It was not until 1961 that it really said that it was the master of its own country and declared its independence.
This country is one of the least affluent countries in the world. Its economy is mainly supported by agriculture, so it can barely fill its stomach. There is no money to engage in industrial development at all. It is difficult to make the economy by going up one flight of stairs.
In the 1970s, Tanzania planned to build its first national railway, but because everyone knew they were close, no country was willing to help build.
Not only did we spend a lot of money, but we also sent more than 30,000 technicians to work with the Tanzanian people to repair the world-famous Tanjin Railway, a 1860-kilometer steel artery that took only five years to complete.
Tanjing Railways, not only became the iron testament of the deep friendship between the two countries, but also made the surrounding economy live up, greatly enhanced the national dignity of Tanzania.
By 2013, the Tanzanian government initially sought China and said it wanted to upgrade the port of Bagamoyo together.
Tanzania’s goal is clear, and they want to turn the old port into a shipping hub for East Africa and even for Africa as a whole, to drive the regional economy.China listened and, without saying anything, agreed to invest up to $10 billion in financial support for the project.
Prepare for Bagamoyo to become the largest port in East Africa.On October 16, 2015, the foundation ceremony was quite lush, and President Kickett personally attended.
The scene was thrilling that day, with local women dancing in safety hats printed with Chinese-made symbols, and the children waving the flag of the two countries running full of fields.
But the turning point began with a regime change in Tanzania in 2015. The new president, Mao Zedong, called the “Treaty on the Review of Inequalities” and questioned China’s proposed 99 year port operating terms and publicly declared that “China treats Tanzania as a primary school student.”
Meanwhile, Britain and Japan have pledged to provide “lower interest rates loans,” while Japan has thrown out $20 billion in funding plans and used “sharing cutting-edge port technology” as a temptation.In March 2019, Tanzania officially announced the termination of its contract with Chinese enterprises, and then Foreign Minister Paramahanbo said it “needed a partner more in line with national interests.”
This was released, and Western media followed the wind, saying that China was engaging in the “debt trap” in Africa.Maguire felt that he was talented, thinking that this would put Tanzania on the two big trees of England and Japan.
The British and Japanese "pie" comes as soon as they say it. The British said that we could help you build a port with less money, and the Japanese promised to give the bridge for nothing. All kinds of beautiful PPT, magnificent design drawings, drinking and socializing have become the norm.
Wait until they really want to work, the higher the British budget, the $8 billion is still unmoving, and the bridge designed by the Japanese can not withstand the local wind and sea water.
The price of this strategic misjudgment was quickly reflected in Tanzania's national destiny with a series of cold economic data. From 2015 to 2020, The country's GDP growth rate plummeted from 7% to 2%, the unemployment rate climbed to a staggering 18%, and even the national credit rating was downgraded to CCC +.
According to the World Bank estimates, the inefficiency of the neighbouring port of Dar es Salaam alone has caused a loss of as much as $2.6 billion per year to the entire regional economy.Tanzania has not only wasted valuable years of development opportunities, but also caused direct economic losses of about $1.4 billion to Chinese enterprises.
No grass to eat.
The shift appeared on March 17, 2021, when President Mahmoud Abbas died of a heart attack. His successor, Samia Sulhu Hassan, became the country's first female president. Faced with the economic difficulties left by his predecessor, the Hassan government took a more pragmatic policy and began to correct the wrong decisions.
In July of the same year, Tanzania took the initiative to send a delegation to Beijing to discuss restarting the Bagamoyo Port project. This time, their posture has taken a 180-degree U-turn. Tanzania offered to amend the cooperation terms, drastically shortening the controversial 99-year management right to 33 years, and at the same time increasing Tanzania's shareholding ratio to 35%, and promising to provide tax incentives to Chinese enterprises.
This pragmatic return shows that after paying a painful price, Tanzania finally understands what is a choice that really conforms to the long-term interests of the country. And China's response also shows the demeanor of a great power. Despite the huge losses, from the perspective of long-term strategic interests, China agreed to restart negotiations, giving both sides a chance to rebuild trust on the ruins.
In February this year, the cooperation took a new trend.The Tanzania Port Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with companies in China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.The Tanzanian government also allocated 2.2 billion Tanzanian shillings for the current work.The new model of cooperation is no longer a single partner, but introduces multiple stakeholders, creating a new pattern of risk sharing and benefit sharing.
conclusion
The wave of Bagamoyo Port is like a costly public lesson that all developing countries should learn. It deeply reveals the truth that a real country develops autonomy not by speculating between the different powers, nor by listening to those short-term promises, but by making strategic decisions that can withstand the test of time and reality based on a full understanding of its own needs and partnership capabilities.
From the initial billions of blueprints, to the once-waste iron debris, to the resumption of multi-party cooperation today, this port witnesses the confusion, pain and maturity of a nation on the path of modernization. The true partnership is precisely the test of misunderstanding and frustration, and the deeper understanding and cooperation in the process of solving problems together. The future of Bagamoyo Port will continue to witness this.