China to Hold Summit with African Nations in Egypt

Since the mid-1990s China's presence in Africa has been growing. Today, the People's Republic is active on the ground in almost every country on the continent with a view to pursuing its own economic interests, says Helmut Asche, an expert on African affairs at Leipzig University: "China has a two-fold interest in Africa. It's not only about raw materials as it is often claimed. China does need oil, copper and aluminium. China is the workshop of the world. In that sense, this is our demand, too - indirectly. But China is also targeting the African market to sell its products."

China mostly sells cheap electronic gadgets and textiles in Africa. Chinese companies build roads, railway lines and airports. Between 2004 and 2008, the volume of Chinese-African trade increased more than tenfold.

Democracy is not an issue

But China is also pursuing its political interests in Africa. As an emerging global superpower it needs allies in international institutions such as the UN. To that end, the Chinese leadership usually stresses that both China and Africa were victims of European colonialism in the past. Issues like democracy and human rights, however, do not play a role in this cooperation. Denis Tull of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs explains: "That's certainly something that many African governments, particularly the more authoritarian ones, appreciate -- because it also offsets pressures on them by Western countries and donors to some extent."

Cooperation with dictatorial regimes like Sudan or Zimbabwe has been a major point which critics of China's involvement in Africa have highlighted. In mid-October, a Chinese company struck a deal with Guinea's military junta about extracting mineral resources worth 7 billion US dollars. This was only weeks after the junta had caused a bloodbath by firing on demonstrators in the capital, Conakry. Denis Tull says it makes sense to criticise the Chinese in such cases:

"I've got the impression that the Chinese government is more and more worried about its international reputation. They do react to criticism, not only from the West, but also from Africans."

New options for the Africans

Over the past few decades, African countries mostly had no other choice but to cooperate with the West. Many became politically and economically dependent in the course of time. But the West still neglected Africa, seeing it as little more than the world's backyard. A case in point was the genocide in Ruanda which was overlooked by the international community. Africa expert Helmut Asche says: „The West hasn't yet realized how far-reaching the challenge launched in Africa by China, India and Brazil really is."

The emergence of these new players not only provides African countries with new options for cooperation. It might also increase the continent's overall standing on the world stage. Whether African countries are going to profit economically from China's involvement in the long run, is a different matter altogether. They might even lose some jobs, for example, in the textile industry.

Author: Christoph Ricking / Thomas Bärthlein
Editor: Grahame Lucas