Egyptians are not alone. The unhappy country list also includes Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and other countries, which have suffered regime changes, civil wars and lasting protests and instability since 2010.
My visit to the two countries made me ponder Africa's future development.
In Egypt, while foreign investment is dwindling, Chinese investors are still seeking opportunities. I met the Chinese owner of a small plant in Suez, which mainly produces keffiyeh for men in Saudi Arabia.
The owner said the major production sites for the headdress have moved from the United Kingdom, to Japan, then to South Korea and then in the 1980s and the 1990s to China. Now, due to the cheap labor supply and closeness to the market, African countries are competing with other developing countries for the textile industry.
And it is not just the textile and clothing industry, China has invested in an industrial zone in Suez with more than 30 plants moving in. While in Ethiopia, China has invested in plants producing leather and shoes, as well as auto assembly and steel plants. And along the highway, which China has built, real estate projects and new plants are being built.
Due to the rising cost of labor and other factors, some industries in Asia started to move to Africa at the beginning of this century. With Libya and Egypt taking the lead in North Africa, there was the possibility of realizing a "goose queue" effect with other African countries following their lead.
However, this process has been interrupted by the global financial crisis and the "Arab Spring" and the wild goose process has been replaced by instability and economic slowdown in North Africa.
While China has been creating opportunities and offering helping hands to African countries. The West and its allies have sought to instigate and manipulate civil unrest in their favor.
It is high time for the international community to sit down to help find pragmatic and cooperative ways to realize the "goose queue effect" of development in Africa. In this regard, China has set up a constructive example, compared to the destructive one of the West.
The author is China Daily's chief correspondent in Brussels. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
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