ELVIS NGOLLE NGOLLEAssociate Professor, University of Yaounde II, Cameroon



The Rising Power of China in Africa and its Implications on African International Relations in the 21st Century

ELVIS NGOLLE NGOLLE
Associate Professor, University of Yaounde II, Cameroon

ASTRIKING COINCIDENCE HAS OCCURRED in International relations whose implications may be felt beyond our times in terms of the extent to which the structure and direction of international relations are changing or may change.This striking coincidence is the rising economic power of China in the last 35 years, the rising fortunes of Africa in the last decade and the measurable and intense activity taking place like never before in relations between China and Africa.These twins trends have reignited if not provoked renewed debate in both academic and policy making circles as to what China is up to in Africa lately? How is Africa reacting to China’s increased activity in the region? What is the future of China-Africa cooperation and African international relations in general in the 21st century? To what extent is China’s increased and intensified presence in Africa alters the geopolitical structure of African international relations.These are all questions that are the thrust of this paper the answer to which will enable a deeper understanding of China-Africa relations in particular and African international relations in general.In effect, with China’s rise as a global economic power and her increased attention on Africa, a geopolitical opportunity is emerging for Africa which for long has not featured in international geopolitical calculations as a region that matters.China’s rising focus on Africa gives Africa that rare opportunity in international relations to secure for herself the geopolitical value it merits with China as it strategic partner .

THE DEPTH AND LEVEL OF CHINA’S POWER IN AFRICA

As historical and other records show, China ‘s presence in Africa dates as far back as and even well before the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama set foot on African shores in the 1400s .Since then and until the 1990s, China’s relations with Africa were ata low level.At the dawn of independence, from the late 1950s through the 1980s, these relations were limited to ideologically tainted assistance to liberation movements and symbolic development projects in mostly those African states that adopted the socialist path to development.For many observers, much of China-Africa cooperation and relations, until the 1990s followed this pattern and was not considered as substantive enough to, provoke world attention and debate .It was also not substantive enough to affect African’s development needs and dreams.

On the diplomatic and political fronts, China has also been increasingly involved in the peacekeeping operations in Africa.The photo shows the soldiers of China’s peacekeeping infantry battalion patrolling the city proper in Juda, capital of South Sudan on November 14, 2015.

This pattern of relations began to change from the late 1990s as African states began their renaissance agenda and as economic performance and governance systems took on a reform mode.With reform minded leaders emerging, a fast growing telecoms market, and extra ordinary opportunities for expanding the manufacturing and export sectors, an Africa rising culture is sweeping across the continent.In fact, the new Africa has been an attraction for foreign direct investment in general and for Chinese investment and trade in particular.The new pattern for China-Africa relations has become so substantive in scope, depth and speed that some observers have described the current China Africa level of cooperation as one that sparks of a new form of colonialism or a new scramble for Africa.

At its current level, there are more Chinese living in Africa as residents in the last decade than ever before over a million in total.According to statistics, over 100000 Chinese are leaving china for Africa every year.More Chinese private and state companies are currently operating businesses in Africa estimated at over 2500 companies.More than 45 out of 54 African states have signed some kind of contractual agreements with China.China is currently the number one trading and investment partner of Africa with a total trade volume of over 210 billion US dollars in 2014 relegating the US and Europe to 2nd and 3rd positions.Within the framework of FOCAC( Forum On China And Africa Cooperation) which is China’s version of France - Afrique, 61 projects have been signed with over 30 African states for a total of over 2.3billion US dollars .Chinese top leaders have intensified state and official visits to more African countries than the past (Angola, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Congo, Tanzania and Cameroon are amongst them).Major investment agreements have been signed in the course of these visits.The scope and depth of Chinese cooperation with Africa has been so high that its visible everywhere in the construction and infrastructural sectors, roads , highways, ports and airports , hydroelectric dams, housing, railways and bridges are being built by Chinese companies .The Chinese presence is visible in the telecoms and petty trading.More so, intermarriages and other interpersonal, cultural and social connections between China and Africa are taking place more than in the past.

In official circles both diplomatically and politically, China has become more and more involved in African Peace keeping missions in conflict areas such as Liberia and Sierra Leone and is determined in her support for African agenda at the United Nations especially with respect to the UN reform.These relations are indeed very intensive in both scope and depth inway and at a speed never seen before in Sino African relations.This feature of China Africa cooperation makes the argument for neo colonialism or a new scramble for Africa weak as the relations are premised on African leaders’ approval, a common sense of shared destinies and a win-win principle.What factors best explain such a Sino African relationship so intensive and so high speed that both African leaders and Chinese are quite comfortable;

FACTORS UNDERPINNING CHINA AFRICA RELATIONS

Among the factors that underpin the current level of China- Africa cooperation are first and foremost, China’s foreign policy mode of openness and engagement with Africa and the rest of the world.Secondly, there has developed a new mentality in Africa and a new spirit of accelerated economic growth and development among African leaders and African citizens to transform Africa speedily and raise standards of living, create and expand the middle class and create wealth and reduce poverty levels especially among youthful populations estimated at about 70% of the 1billion population of the continent.Thirdly, both China and Africa see themselves as a people with shared destinies, common fears of external domination and a common dream of prosperity for all the people.This is the convergence between the African dreams (vision 2063) of the AU) and the Chinese dream.Fourth, China and Africa understand the texture of world power which is dominated by the west and see the China- Africa cooperation as a useful alternative to the existing relationships that are often tainted with impossible conditionalities.Fifth, both China and Africa operate on the assumption or principle that their cooperation rests on a win-win principle.Otherwise put, China needs Africa as much as Africa needs China.In this logic, China gains what it needs to sustain her new status as a leading world economic power while Africa gains from investments, trade, technology and other facilitative mechanisms diplomatically and politically.Besides, both parties operate on the assumption that Sino- Africa cooperation offers the both peoples the fastest path to accelerated economic growth and development through a development that will make both China and Africa industrialized and as manufacturing centers and partners for world peace and development.To what extent will the new level of China Africa cooperation achieve the desired objectives can only be determined with time.However, it goes without saying that the current heightened level of China -Africa relations will have consequences or implications for African international relations.

The current heightened level of China -Africa relations will have consequences or implications for African international relations.

CHINA-AFRICA RELATIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

For more than 50 years of African sovereign independence, her foreign policies and international relations have reposed on a certain number of principles and objectives.Amongst these principles are: respect for the UN charter, respect for the territorial integrity of each state , non interference in the internal affairs of each state , peace and justice in the world and respect of state frontiers or borders.In terms of objectives, African states commit themselves to work in raising the living standards of their people, liberate the continent from apartheid and colonialism, bring about the unity of Africa and work for peace and security.These lofty ideals and grand objectives continue to define African international relations for the most part.It is arguable to state that the cold war dynamic and great power rivalries , the internal political conflicts within Africa , the crushing poverty levels and the conflictual political crises in the region have not helped positively in the achievement of the desired goals of African foreign policies in particular and their international relations in general.

It is against this background that the new level of China -Africa cooperation draws logic and premise.With the end of the cold war, there’s no ideological constraint on any African state in its cooperation.With the rise in China’s economic power and her openness to the world, Africa has yet another alternative opportunity or an additional opportunity relative to traditional relationships.With Africa rising and the extraordinary opportunities that Africa now represents, it has become a new frontier for foreign direct investment, for trade, for manufacturing industries and infrastructural projects.With China as Africa’ s strategic partner , there are more guarantees for Africa’s success in financial, economic and diplomatic transactions at the level of the UN, the IMF, the world bank and traditional creditor partners.

Regardless of the perspective used, there is no doubt that the height and level of China -Africa cooperation has generated a lot of anxiety among African leaders and peoples.This new relationship has also generated debates and reactions amongst Africa’s traditional partners to the extent that academics, researchers and policy makers in the west are all looking into what the new China-African cooperation represents.What is predictable is the fact that to the extent that the China’s-Africa cooperation succeeds it will affect the structure and direction of African international relations in this century and perhaps the geopolitical value of Africa will assume a more meaningful height and trajectory in the course of the 21st Century.

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