DAR ES SALAAM, April 9 -- “IT doesnt matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice,” Deng Xiaoping July 1962 and that is exactly what I membered when the Airbus A350 XWB began taxiing from Addis Ababa, it marked a momentous first-hand experience of travelling from Dar es Salaam to Beijing, transiting through the heart of Africa.

As an African participant, I had studied China on many fronts, guided first and foremost by my all-time favourite teacher, Msemembo S.B, on history paper three, topic: “Rise of the Peoples Republic of China.”

Unlike many Tanzanians who travel to China the worlds second-largest economy for commercial purposes, I was journeying for official reasons: attending a programm...