The Rising Tides of Africa and China

Since the mid 1980s, Chinese security analysts have debated China's role in the changing international system. Sharp increases in Chinese military spending indicate that China plans to reshape the international economic and military balance of power. Much of China's economic growth is the product of its investment in Africa. Some are concerned that Beijing's more recent relations with Africa are part of its strategy to become the new global hegemony. A primary question is: Which choice will China make? We analyze three perspectives on Beijing's role in African Affairs. The first view holds that China is fulfilling a long-term strategic commitment to Africa that is driven by Chinese economic interests, a commitment to transmit and transfer its own development assistance, and a desire to build effective cooperative partnerships among developing nation-states. The second view is that Chinese policy is to quickly exploit Africa's natural resources, without, like their Western economic counterparts, paying much consideration to local developmental, environmental concerns or human rights issues. The third view emphasizes China's African policy as part of a long-term strategy to displace the Western orientation of the continent by forging partnerships with African elites under the rubric of solidarity.