Chinas Role in Africa

Chinas Role in Africa

   Written by Gombi Shiro

Africa is regarded as a continent of opportunity. Some regard it as a risky investment while  others have realized the rewards of it. China has certainly realized the rewards of it and has become an assertive and important Investor in Africa.

Chinas interest in Africa has also become a big debate. Western countries see Chinese involvement in the continent as Neocolonialism. African countries on the contrary see their motive actually as quite pure. Evidence has shown that the Africans themselves do not feel exploited. A 2007 Pew Research Center survey of 10 sub-Saharan African countries found that Africans overwhelmingly viewed Chinese economic growth as beneficial. In virtually all countries surveyed, China’s involvement was viewed in a much more positive light than America’s; in Senegal, 86 percent said China’s role in their country helped make things better, compared with 56 percent who felt that way about America’s role. In Kenya, 91 percent of respondents said they believed China’s influence was positive, versus only 74 percent for the United States Suspicion has risen that Chinese interest is their own long term economic development in terms of easy and cheap access to raw material and export opportunities.

Their interest in the natural resources in the richly endowed countries is seen as a mechanism to feed their exponential hunger for the resources in order to fuel its rapidly expanding economy.  Africa is also politically useful to China in terms of voting when it comes to the UN General Assembly and global summits such as the climate change conferences with almost 52 African representing countries this builds alliances which could be helpful in the future to row over Taiwan. In order to get Chinese aid, conditions are also given; the African countries must concede the large numbers of Chinese experts and workers as part of their investment package. This is seen by others as a quest to dump its surplus population into the continent.

Each country has its own interest at heart. Africa should have a strategy for China and should try and look at ways to leverage its relations in order to gain more and a clear policy framework for their engagement is need. China is in Africa to do business, to provide what Africa wants in exchange for what China wants it is a give and take situation. China may help Africa to a certain point, but only if Africans can help themselves in the long run. Whether the China African Relation is ultimately beneficial to Africa cannot be said for certain. In the short run we believe that it is mutually beneficial but in the long run Africa will be the losing one. At the end of the day it will be up to Africa, not China, to determine the answer to that question.