CHINA is a “counterforce” to US exploitation, a Kenyan communist leader told a central London meeting on Saturday evening.

Communist Party of Kenya vice-chairman and organising secretary Booker Ngesa Omole was the keynote speaker for a packed meeting on Africa, China and the Rise of the Global South at the historic Marx Memorial Library in London.

The meeting, organised by the Friends of Socialist China, also heard powerful contributions from Black Liberation Alliance’s Fiona Sim, Pan-African activist Cecil Gutzmore and RMT president Alex Gordon.

The meeting was chaired by Radhika Desai, convener of the International Manifesto Group.

In his keynote speech Mr Omole said his visits to China last year filled him “with a renewed sense of hope” that convinced him of “the Chinese socio-economic and political system over the liberal Western model often imposed on African nations wholesale.”

He said while the US relationship with Africa was “exploitative,” the Chinese offered an “alternative to engaging with development partners and international capital.”

Mr Omole said: “Unlike the US and Western nations, which have historically imposed detrimental policies on African nations through institutions like the IMF and World Bank, China has adopted a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries.

“This shift has spared African nations from the suffering and hardships inflicted by such destructive policies.”

He described China as a “beacon of hope for the oppressed and exploited” and said it “stands as a counterforce, presenting an alternative path” to imperialism.

Mr Omole concluded that “as Africa pursues prosperity and integration, China’s support presents valuable opportunities for shared growth and prosperity in the future. 

“Through solidarity and perseverance, we can build a world free from oppression and exploitation.”

The Morning Star was one of the sponsors of the meeting.