“Health Diplomacy: In Africa, China’s Soft Power Provides a Healing Touch,” Knowledge@Wharton.
Much has been made about China’s commercial push into Africa. But a less-publicized facet of its foreign policy strategy there is actually helping millions of Africans. Sometimes dubbed “health diplomacy,” China has been offering much-needed medical aid to African countries for over half a century as a soft power strategy to strengthen bonds with African governments. This tactic has, in turn, paved the way for Chinese companies to profit in Africa. In addition, the Chinese government has been able to influence the way African countries have supported China on the international stage, including the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
The medical help that China has been providing includes sending doctors overseas to staff clinics, building hospitals and clinics, and training African medical staff in China. Though Africa has had to depend on foreign countries to alleviate some of its dire health issues, China may be the only country to send government-paid medical workers to work and stay in Africa for extended periods of time. That level of commitment has proven to be an important facet of its soft power foreign policy strategy. Many other medical organizations working in Africa are sponsored by charities or private groups, not governments.
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In fact, China is known to provide assistance to African countries with almost a “no-strings-attached” policy, making the nation very popular with some controversial African governments.
Yes, this kind of work is obviously of high value in some places. There are people around the world who are living in hellish conditions—right now. I do not say this as an idle profanity. I mean literally that the conditions in which they live are conditions which, in my opinion informed by my faith, are oppressive chains established by a demonic enemy. When Jesus came preaching the Good News, he didn’t just use words to express it—he incarnated the euangelion—the Good News of the nearness of the Kingdom—through actions that healed the sick and released the oppressed. You cannot have words without deeds.
China is being a blessing to Africa. I believe that as they are a blessing, they will be blessed by God. Perhaps not to the fullness they would be were they actively serving the Lord, but blessed nonetheless.
If those who have been a blessing, are no longer a conduit of blessing, then won’t “what they have be taken away and given to those” who are a blessing?
