In contemporary discourse on China-Africa relations, there are, on the one hand, the Sino-pessimists who see China as a giant vacuum-cleaner, sucking up Africa’s resources in order to fuel its own rapid industrialization, and destroying Africa’s development potential in the process. On the other hand, the Sino-optimists see China as the ultimate savior of Africa, capable of or willing to 'develop' the continent. Between the two divergent schools of thought are those sitting on the fence for the time being, the Sino-pragmatists, who are less sanguine for sure about what Africa would gain from China-Africa relations, but are nevertheless willing to reserve judgment until the dust settles. This book is innovative in two ways: it introduces a regional approach to the study of China-Africa relations by focusing on Eastern and Southern Africa; and it puts forward a disciplinary framework- disciplinary in both senses of that term- for interrogating the burgeoning literature about China-Africa relations by conceptualizing the three schools of thought mentioned above.
With the pace of trade and investment picking up, coupled with closer international cooperation with Beijing through the G20, FOCAC and BRICS grouping, South Africa-China ties are assuming a significant position in continental and even global affairs. At the same time, it is a relationship of paradoxes, breaking with many of the assumptions that underpin contemporary analyses of ‘China-Africa’ ties. This edited volume examines the South Africa-China relationship through a survey of its diplomatic partnership, economic ties, and broader community relations. These important aspects that are often conflated as a single relationship, yet what is important to explore are how these components reflect different China-South Africa relationship(s), and how they intersect.
The year 2013 marked 15 years of the phenomenal diplomatic relations between South Africa and China. Th e relationship between South Africa and China has been developing since diplomatic ties were established on 1 January 1998. Since then, South Africa-China's bilateral relations have undergone rapid and all-facet development. There were frequent high level and other kinds of mutual exchanges between the two countries. The bilateral relations within the space of fifteen years have evolved from a Partnership to a Strategic Partnership, and then to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Furthermore, in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was set out in the Beijing Declaration signed in 2010, the two countries expressed the desire to further strengthen and deepen cooperation in both bilateral and regional affairs by establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership based on equality, mutual benefit and common development. The agreements range from political dialogue, trade, investment, mineral exploration, manufacturing, and agriculture to joint efforts in the global arena, such as in the United Nations, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). In recognition of the aforementioned bilateral achievements, on 19 September 2013, an Ambassadorial forum was co-hosted by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa, and the Africa Institute of South Africa - Human Science Research Council (AISA-HSRC). The objective of the Ambassadorial Forum was to provide an opportunity for reflections on the past and outlook on the future diplomatic relations between South Africa and China. This book presents the official keynote addresses which provide strategic thinking and foresight into the bilateral relations between the two countries. The main substance of the book is a collection of the Ambassadorial Forum papers that were submitted. The papers evaluate economic and political progress from a national interest perspective. Progress is measured against variables such as trade growth, people-to-people development, partnerships, and the implementation of state agreements, all against the background of the theory of national interest.
The book seeks to understand China's evolving political and economic role in Africa and assesses what impacts Chinese aid, trade and investment have on the politics of specific African countries, and the extent to which it excites geopolitical competition.
Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- Acknowledgements -- List of contributors -- Introduction and context -- 1 Introduction: images, nation branding and news framing -- 2 Beyond the drama: Sino-African ties in perspective -- Part 1 Building images through cultural cooperation and diplomacy -- Section A: Historical contexts -- 3 Revolutionary friendship: representing Africa during the Mao Era -- 4 Giving 'prominence to politics': African sportsmen visit China in the early Cultural Revolution -- Section B: Contemporary relations -- 5 Twenty-first century Sino-African cultural cooperation: exploring reciprocity -- 6 Confucius Institutes in Africa: culture and language without controversy? -- 7 China corner: Chinese book donations to Africa -- 8 China's digital public diplomacy towards Africa: actors, messages and audiences -- Part 2 Building images through media representation and communication -- 9 Chinese media and diplomacy in Africa: theoretical pathways -- 10 Newspaper coverage of China's engagement with Nigeria: partner or predator? -- 11 Media construction of African image(s) for the Chinese media public -- 12 Chinese developmentalism and television representation of South Africa -- 13 The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities of Huawei and ZTE in Africa -- 14 The effectiveness of Chinese technical assistance and knowledge transfer in East Africa from the perspective of medium-of-instruction -- Index
In contemporary discourse on China-Africa relations, there are, on the one hand, the Sino-pessimists who see China as a giant vacuum-cleaner, sucking up Africa’s resources in order to fuel its own rapid industrialization, and destroying Africa’s development potential in the process. On the other hand, the Sino-optimists see China as the ultimate savior of Africa, capable of or willing to 'develop' the continent. Between the two divergent schools of thought are those sitting on the fence for the time being, the Sino-pragmatists, who are less sanguine for sure about what Africa would gain from China-Africa relations, but are nevertheless willing to reserve judgment until the dust settles. This book is innovative in two ways: it introduces a regional approach to the study of China-Africa relations by focusing on Eastern and Southern Africa; and it puts forward a disciplinary framework- disciplinary in both senses of that term- for interrogating the burgeoning literature about China-Africa relations by conceptualizing the three schools of thought mentioned above.
This comprehensive analysis of South Africa-China relations represents the research of some of the best minds working on China-Africa issues. It reflects the thoughtful perspectives of scholars from Africa, China and Western countries. - David Shinn, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA This book is a refreshingly blunt, thought provoking, and provides a thoroughly informed discussion of China -South Africa relations. Unlike several China Africa books that tend to demonstrate a bias towards either Chinese or Western thinking, this book unapologetically dispels any myths or narratives surrounding China-South Africa political and economic relations. The various sections in the book shed excellent light on the political influences shaping economic diplomacy, particularly given the complex global, regional and local economics regarding both countries. This is also one of the very few books that scientifically unpacks identity, and the impact of economic transformation on South Africa's local Chinese community. The book sections serve as an invaluable resource for policy makers, civil societies, and academics interested in understanding South Africa-China bilateral ties. - Dr Funeka Yazini April, Coordinator, BRICS Research Center, Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa With the pace of trade and investment picking up, coupled with closer international cooperation with Beijing through the G20, FOCAC and BRICS grouping, South Africa-China ties are assuming a significant position in continental and even global affairs. At the same time, it is a relationship of paradoxes, breaking with many of the assumptions that underpin contemporary analyses of 'China-Africa' ties. This edited volume examines the South Africa-China relationship through a survey of its diplomatic partnership, economic ties, and broader community relations. These important aspects that are often conflated as a single relationship, yet what is important to explore are how these components reflect different China-South Africa relationship(s), and how they intersect. Chris Alden is Professor in International Relations at the LSE and Director of LSE-IDEAS. He is a Senior Research Associate with the South African Institute of International Affairs and a Research Associate with the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria. Yu-Shan Wu is Research Associate with the Africa-China Reporting Project (ACRP) at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - Region: Africa, grade: 1,7, University of Münster (Institut für Politikwissenschaft), course: China and India -Two new global players, language: English, abstract: The third China-Africa Cooperation Forum held in Beijing between the 3rd and 5th November 2006 revealed the growing influence that China is becoming in Africa since a few years. This summit was announced by Chinese officials as being the most important diplomatic event ever organized in the country since 1949. The size of the African participation -48 African countries took part- was telling: Africa’s leaders recognise that China is a now a hugely important economic and political player on their continent. Actually, China has had a long involvement with Africa, going back to the early days of independence movements in the 1960s and before. But the current level and intent of China’s involvement is different. In those earlier days, China’s engagement with Africa was politically driven: personnel, technical assistance and weapons were sent to the continent to support newly independent countries and liberation movements. Besides, during the cold war, African leaders perceived China as a leading nation of the Third World, and Maoism was sometimes used as ideological reference, while China had geopolitical interests in the continent, namely to counter its biggest ideological rival, the Soviet Union, in countries such as Angola and Congo. But in the 1980s, China’s influence and involvement in the African continent waned. China was unable to compete with western aid programs, and Africa had lost its strategic importance for Chinese officials. However, this situation dramatically changed in the last decade. China's policy towards Africa during this period has its roots in the crisis surrounding the Tiananmen massacre and the persistent Western criticism of China’s human rights record. These events indeed provided the initial trigger which compelled the Chinese government to seek closer ties to non-Western countries, and especially with Africa. In addition, the emergence of the international hegemony of the United States in the post-1989 period led China to steer a more active foreign policy. As a consequence, Chinese officials advanced the concept of multipolarity, and reached out to non-Western states to bolster China’s international position vis-à-vis the United States and particularly its room for manoeuvre within the United Nations and other international bodies. Furthermore, since China’s economic boom and its growing thirst for raw materials, the commercial perspectives represented by the African continent and its potential in energetic resources are also in the heart of the new Chinese strategy in Africa. However, China’s growing influence in Africa has raised a range of interrogations about its objectives and methods. A crucial question I will try to answer is whether China’s growing involvement in Africa is a positive or a negative shift for the region. Will it help or hinder the development prospects of the continent? To answer that question, I will first review the scale of China’s political and economic involvement in Africa and examine the objectives and strategies underlying Chinese foreign policy towards Africa. Then I will look at the impact that China’s engagement has or may have in a near future on African countries by considering its economic and political repercussions.
China's growing engagement with Africa has major implications for both sides, and has added an important strategic context to South-South co-operation. In this volume, two leading South African scholars examine this dynamic which takes on added meaning because of the new Sino-South African axis.
