Nordiska Afrikainstitutet (NAI) i Uppsala i Sverige holder i september en omfattende workshop om Kinas lange march ind på det afrikanske kontinent
NAI skriver herom i sit seneste elektroniske nyhedsbrev:
China-India-Africa Relations: New Strategic Encounters
International Conference, Uppsala, Sweden, 22-23 September 2008
Co-Conveners: Fantu Cheru (Globalization and Africa: Research Director), Yenkong Ngangjoh-Hodu (Global Trade cluster) and Cyril Obi (Post Conflict cluster).
The year 2005 marked the 50th anniversary of the beginning of China-Africa diplomatic relations and an important milestone in China-Africa relations.
For the first time, in January 2006, China also issued Africa Policy Paper, elaborating its policy toward Africa.
In the Paper, the Chinese government put forward its proposals for cooperation with Africa in various fields in the coming years and declared its commitment to a new strategic partnership with Africa in the long term, on the basis of five principles of peaceful coexistence (e.g. respect of African countries independent choice of development path, mutual benefit and reciprocity; interaction based on equality; and consultation and cooperation in global affairs).
Important events such as the summit of China-Africa Forum aim to further boost Chinas cooperation with Africa.
The current relationship between China and Africa is very much dominated by trade, investment and economic cooperation.
While securing energy resources may be important for Chinas increasing engagement with Africa, China is also strengthening trade, investment and aid ties with Africa through various bilateral and multilateral forums such as Asia-Africa Summit, China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC) and China-Africa Business Council.
In addition, China has in the context of its global activism, played an increasing role in peacekeeping missions in Africa. Since 2003, Chinese peacekeepers have participated in UN Missions in several African countries: Western Sahara, Mozambique, Ethiopia-Eritrea border, DR Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Just a month ago, Chinese troops were sent to Darfur in Sudan as part of the UN Hybrid Peacekeeping Force.
This is part of a wider effort to create a paradigm of globalization that favors China.
Though Chinas rise poses a number of challenges, the opportunities should outweigh the threats if managed correctly.
Regrettably, missing from the new China-Africa cooperation arrangement is a clear and coordinated strategy by African leaders on how to engage China constructively.
While China knows what it wants from Africa, African countries have yet to develop a common framework on how to negotiate with China from a stronger and better-informed platform.
Research Objectives
Notwithstanding the benefits, as China looms over Africa, some analysts and researchers have already begun to accuse it of “neo-colonialism”. Its search for energy and minerals in Africa is often equated to the “scramble for resources” that led to western colonialism during the second half of the 19th century.
There are also other risks that come with Chinas ascendancy in Africa. These risks are related to weak governance standards, which may lead to misallocation of receipts from high raw material prices.
Competition for Chinese investment may also lead to a race to the bottom, i.e., a weakening of the still low local standards and regulations (environment, labor market, tax, etc.).
Chinas search for raw materials and energy, as well as its greater engagement with African states – “no strings attached aid”, provisions of low interest loans and credit – has also meant its involvement in conflict and peace in the continent.
Chinese companies and workers, particularly in the oil sector have been subjected to attacks by armed groups in places as diverse as Niger, Ogaden in Ethiopia, and Nigerias Niger Delta.
Labor unions and local manufactures have voiced concerns in some countries on the adverse impact of Chinese support for repressive regimes, and the impact of cheap Chinese manufacturers. Another development that merits some attention is the role of China in peacekeeping and peace building operations in Africa.
Another cost, possibly the most written about is the increasing number of Chinese exports of textiles to Africas domestic market. By the end of 2004, Chinas textile exports to South Africa alone grew from 40 per cent of clothing exports to 80 per cent.
This led to the local industries suffering from competition of cheap Chinese products and led to massive job losses following closures of some industries.
More than 10 clothing factories in Lesotho closed in 2005, throwing at least 10.000 employees out of work. South Africas clothing exports to the United States dropped from 26 million US dollar in the first quarter of 2004 to 12 million dollar for the first quarter of 2005.
Objectives of the Workshop
The objectives of the planned workshop on Sino-Africa relations is as follow:
– To interrogate further how the costs and benefits of Chinas expansion will impact on poverty reduction for Africa.
– To explore what role Africa can play to maximize the benefits from Chinas growth for its pro-poor initiatives.
– To explore how Africa can mitigate against any negative effects of Chinas economic expansion into Africa
– To debate the role of China in conflict and peace in Africa, and explore the principles that informs Chinas participation in peacekeeping and peace building operations in the continent.
– To investigate how Chinese economic aggrandizement, facilitated by its membership to the WTO, has impacted African development interests in the global trading system.
The meeting will draw participants from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, scholars from Africa, Europe and the United States specializing in African studies.
Other stakeholders, such as NGOs and policy makers from the Nordic countries, African ambassadors in the Nordic countries, the Africa Union, NEPAD, and the Economic Commission for Africa will also participate.
Invited scholars will be commissioned before hand to prepare country-based case studies from selected African countries of their expertise.
Key issues for further research
Chinas growing presence in Africa has led to more questions and issues being raised by different stakeholders such as the following:
– What will constitute the best trading relationship between China and Africa?
– Will China and India, and developing Asia more broadly, become an important source of FDI (foreign direct investment) to Africa?
– What would be the beneficiary sectors – only natural resource intensive sectors?
– Would the poor be able to benefit from these developments, or would they remain outside any benefits, especially if most FDI goes to resource-intensive sectors?
– Can Africa increase exports of labor-intensive agricultural products to China, which might provide an escape from poverty in light of the increasing competition and falling prices for many such products?
– What strategies are needed for African governments to utilize increased tax revenues from primary product export to fund pro-poor initiatives?
– Will Chinas economic presence help Africa reduce its dependence on the West and give it more economic options, which should lead to increased efforts towards poverty reduction?
– Should there be restriction of Chinese imports and a minimum requirement on locally made goods in the shops?
Should African countries change existing policies aimed at reducing poverty in line with Chinas economic expansion?
– How can African countries maximize the gains from Chinas global activism in favor of peacekeeping, peace building and post-war reconstruction and development in Africa?
For further information on the conference please contact Nina Klinge-Nygård, ([email protected]), phone 0046 18 56 22 34.
The Nordic Africa Institute, P O Box 1703, SE-751 47 Uppsala, Sweden
Telephone: 0046 18 56 22 00, Fax: 0046 18 56 22 90, E-mail: [email protected]
Visitors address: Kungsgatan 38, web: www.nai.uu.se
