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Asian-African Amity Ongoing Forum Is Occasion for Continental Cooperation | ||||
The Korea-Africa Forum opened its three-day session Tuesday to discuss enhancing ties between Seoul and African countries. The forum, a follow-up to President Roh Moo-hyun's ``Korea Initiative'' announced during his visit to three African nations in March, is significant for diversifying the nation's diplomacy. The five African heads of state visiting Seoul are actually on their way home from the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation attended by 48 African nations. This shows how far Seoul has to go before catching up with Beijing. Korea, the world's 11th largest economy, has exercised relatively weak international influence in part because of its national division. So much so that President Roh's African swing was the first one by a Korean leader in 25 years. Seoul was also alienated from the nonaligned bloc, in which Pyongyang once exercised considerable influence. So the time has long past for diplomatic diversification and to make the nation's voice heard in the international community at a level commensurate with its economic power. The cooperation between Korea and Africa is all the more important in economic areas, especially in the energy and resource sectors. For a resource-poor country like this one, the importance of securing overseas supply sources of energy and mineral resources can hardly be overemphasized. In this regard, Seoul is lagging too far behind its Asian rivals, such as Japan, China and India. The endeavors of Beijing and New Delhi in approaching Africa defy the imagination of the rest of the world. China in particular is offering not just massive official development assistance (ODA) but also a write-off of existing debts for the African nations. India is differentiating itself through approaches largely led by the private sector and is infiltrating niche markets left unfilled by China. The frontrunner Japan has promised to redouble its already huge ODA to $5 billion by 2007. Korea also plans to triple its ODA, but its commitment will remain at $100 million to 2008, showing too great a gap with Japan's. The news that a POSCO-led consortium has signed a memorandum of understanding on a $10-billion ``big deal'' with Nigeria, in which the Koreans renovate the African country's worn-out railway system in exchange for rights to develop oil fields is especially welcome in this regard. Korea is a latecomer to the continent, so it should take a different approach, such as sharing its development know-how with African countries, which, like Korea, were former colonies of imperialist countries. It should not be a one-sided exploitation but a mutually beneficial and experience-sharing relationship. Korea should inform the African people that what it seeks is co-prosperity, not short-term, unilateral benefits. The government should take the lead in combining its capability in information and logistics with private firms' pioneering spirit and creativity to maximize the fruits of its African policy. |