Listen up Pretoria. Visiting Chinese President Xi brings lessons aplenty.

Over the years, South Africa has absorbed sound economic advice from some unlikely sources. Most obvious example was at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 1991. Recently released future President Nelson Mandela’s arrived full of ideas around nationalisation and centralised control of the economy – regurgitating antiquated Marxist/Leninist dogma of the ANC’s Soviet allies. The entreaties of Western leaders fell on deaf ears. But when the Prime Minister of Vietnam explained how those approaches would surely fail – because Vietnam itself had tried them – Madiba listened. And rapidly changed his tune. This week, the global leader most respected by Pretoria, China’s President Xi Jinping, will meet with the man now occupying Mandela’s office, the beleaguered Jacob Zuma. Is it too much to ask that Xi provides some reality checks for SA’s economically misguided ship? For instance, if Beijing sees the sense in privatising electricity distribution, shouldn’t Pretoria? And if China’s strategy of building a new economy while keeping the old one going has succeeded, surely that is a better route than destroying what existed? Hope springs. – Alec Hogg   

By Mike Cohen and Ting Shi

(Bloomberg) — To see China’s evolving foreign policy, look to Africa, where a desire to protect economic investment is leading to a revision of the country’s hands-off approach to the internal affairs of other nations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a five-day African visit on Tuesday that he’ll use to showcase China’s expanding role as a protector of regional security, as well as a provider of infrastructure and consumer of resources. China has pledged $100 million of military aid for the African Union, sent an infantry battalion to support peacekeeping efforts in South Sudan and deployed frigates to fight piracy off the Somali coast, leading the country to consider building its first overseas naval resupply station in Djibouti.

Xi_Jinping

“Such initiatives are a clear departure from Beijing’s aversion to military or security intervention in Africa,” Lyle Morris, a project associate at the RAND Corp., said, citing in particular the military assistance Xi pledged in September. “The announcement suggests a rethinking of Chinese priorities on the continent, and marks a recognition that China’s participation in conflict resolution will be an unavoidable byproduct of increased Chinese engagement.”

The moves are part of broader policy shift, as Xi works to build geopolitical influence for the world’s second-largest economy without abandoning a decades-old vow against interfering in other countries. The new approach to Africa — a major hot spot for Chinese investment — could illustrate how China tries to strike that balance globally as its business interests expand.

Read also: Africa seen as the next China, vehicle manufacturers take note

Mali Attack

The security moves help China counter questions about its commitment to Africa’s long-term development after complaints about the fairness of deals trading resources for infrastructure and the level of local labor used by the more than 2,500 Chinese companies on the continent. Xi also must protect an estimated 2 million Chinese working in some of Africa’s most unstable areas — a concern highlighted by a Nov. 20 attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, Mali, that left at least 20 people dead, including three China Railway Construction Corp. executives.

The Mali attack showed that “China’s vast business interests in Africa face an uncertain future if security issues are not tackled,” said Shu Yunguo, director of the Center for African Studies at Shanghai Normal University.

China’s must weigh whether the risks of taking a bigger role in such danger zones are worth the benefits. In Syria, for instance, the country might provide some logistical support to an international coalition against the Islamic State, but is seen as unlikely to commit forces or back a proposal that undermines the government.

Read also: Anthea Jeffery: Equitable investment treaties? Protects China, chastises West

Xi is expected to cast China’s security role in Africa as limited and within the framework of international organizations. “In the long run, the international community and the United Nations should support African countries in increasing their own capacity in keeping peace and stability so that African issues can be addressed in an African way,” he told the UN General Assembly in September.

Investment Pledge

Xi’s itinerary starts with a state visit hosted by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, a longtime Chinese ally who currently heads the African Union. He’ll then receive a similar reception in South Africa before participating in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg on Friday and Saturday — the first such gathering to be held in Africa. Trade relations and development projects will top the agenda, but talks are also planned on joint anti-terrorism efforts.

“We cannot have development without security,” said Ghulam Asmal, director of international partnerships at South Africa’s Department of International Relations. “There is a realization that security cannot be left out of the equation.”

Read also: Why Chinese leader Xi is China’s first US-style president

While China is Africa’s biggest trading partner, with two- way flows exceeding $220 billion last year, the pace of investment has slowed. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said last month that the country’s investment in Africa fell by more than 40 percent in the first half of 2015. Premier Li Keqiang has pledged to increase spending to about $100 billion by the end of the decade, compared with $30 billion last year.

Global Clout

Xi will propose “new thoughts, new policies and new ideas” for developing ties with Africa, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters Thursday. The president’s expected to unveil plans to promote infrastructure, industrialization and agriculture development, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. Plans to build a high-speed rail network in Nigeria, regional aviation links and highways will also likely to be discussed.

Africa wants to convince China to process more raw materials locally and provide greater access to Chinese markets for its manufactured and agricultural goods, Asmal said. “What we are asking for is development and socioeconomic upliftment,” he said.

In building security ties with African leaders, China’s also cultivating a base of global diplomatic support, said David Shinn, who teaches African affairs at George Washington University. African nations constitute more than a quarter of the UN General Assembly.

“China is approaching Africa a little differently than it used to,” Shinn said. “It’s not reached the point yet where you could say they have abandoned the principle of non-interference, but it certainly has reached the point of a redefinition of what non-interference means.”

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