China and Africa have had a long historical relationship dating back to the voyages of Zheng He in the early 15th century, but their modern relationships have been complicated by their differing colonial experiences and development paths. China pursued an anti-colonial foreign policy in the 1950s-60s to gain diplomatic recognition and UN votes from newly independent African nations. In the 1970s-80s, China focused domestically and on conflicts with the Soviet Union. Since the 1990s, China has sought to manage its global image and secure natural resource imports from Africa through rapid economic growth and investment. However, concerns remain about the potential for unequal power dynamics between the rising global power of China and individual African states.
15. African Nations
(Ordered by first recognition of the PRC)
Egypt
Zambia
Niger
South Africa
Morocco
Benin
Gambia
Malawi
Algeria
Mauritania
Botswana
South Sudan
Sudan
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea
Ethiopia
Mozambique
São Tomé and Príncipe
Swaziland (never recognized)
Ghana
Nigeria
Comoro Islands
Mali
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Somalia
Sierra Leone
Seychelles
Democratic Republic of
Congo
Rwanda
Liberia
Senegal
Libya
Mauritius
Djibouti
Togo
Zimbabwe
Madagascar
Angola
Chad
Côte d'Ivoire
Burkino Faso
Lesotho
Guinea Bissau
Namibia
Gabon
Eritrea
Tanzania
Uganda
Kenya
Burundi
Tunisia
Congo, Brazzaville
Central African Republic
16. The Five Principles of
Peaceful Coexistence
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity
mutual non-aggression
non-interference in each other's internal affairs
equality and mutual benefit
peaceful coexistence.
Originally set forth by Premier Zhou Enlai
to the Indian delegation in 1953-1954
17. Six Decades of PRC-Africa Relations
50s-60s
“One China”, UN votes, diplomatic recognition
70s-80s
Sino-Soviet conflicts, “One China”, domestic focus
90s-00s
“Brand” management, rapid growth, secure supply chain
20. [The guiding principle of Chinese diplomacy in
the 1980s changed from] “ideological idealism
to pragmatic idealism and from unconditional
internationalism to a priority of national
interest."
—He Wenping
Chinese Africanist
21. Six Decades of PRC-Africa Relations
50s-60s
“One China”, UN votes, diplomatic recognition
70s-80s
Sino-Soviet conflicts, “One China”, domestic focus
90s-00s
“Brand” management, rapid growth, secure supply chain
34. “Chinese citizens found in oil installations will
be treated as thieves. The Chinese government
by investing in stolen crude places its citizens in
our line of fire.”
—Movement for the Emancipation
of the Niger Delta (MEND)
45. “It is possible to build an unequal relationship,
the kind of relationship that has developed
between African countries as colonies. The
African continent exports raw material and
imports manufactured goods, condemning (it)
to underdevelopment”
—President Thabo Mbeki, South Africa, 2006