President Mbeki of South Africa with President Hu-Jintao of ChinaChinese growing interest in Africa's natural ressources is raising a great question on the relationship between the African Continent and fast-growing China. South African President, Thabo Mbeki who does not make in nuance and who is always direct has warned the continent to guard against falling into a "colonial relationship" with China. Africa needs to have a new kind of Partnership based on equal trade and not a replication of the historical relationship with the former colonial powers. This is a new issue to face and African leaders have to think about it very carefully. If they want to benefit from this relationship, African countries can not continue to just export raw materials to the World's fastest growing Economy while importing Chinese manifactured goods. Mr Mbeki, who attended, with 50 other African Heads of State and Governement, the China-Africa Summit last november is aware of the the challenge for Africa. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be the case for all the other leaders. Anyway, Mr Mbeki has shown the way, the rest have just to follow and build with China a relationship that can benefit to their countries. Two years ago, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) featured a special issue of its Electronic Journal on Governance and Innovation on this topic. I would like to share it with you.
Summary:
"China's insatiable appetite for resources comes at a pivotal moment for Africa. Fifteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall set off a wave of democratisation on the continent, concern for African poverty is rising to unprecedented heights on the global agenda. Africa, consequently, stands at a crossroads. Will it meet this outside engagement passively or actively? The continent has vast deposits of the mineral and energy resources China seeks. But it also has critical points of leverage against Beijing. An active, nuanced policy toward China that balances long-term economic and security interests could accelerate progress on African priorities at home and abroad. But a passive policy that looks no further than feeding China's appetite for raw materials contains grave dangers. China is a key player influencing whether the world averts its eyes from human rights abuses and civil wars. And its growing manufacturing prowess is a direct economic threat to Africa. How Africa responds to China is the subject of this issue."
Read the full report @ the link below:
http://saiia.org.za/images/upload/eAfrica_February_2005.pdf
Summary:
"China's insatiable appetite for resources comes at a pivotal moment for Africa. Fifteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall set off a wave of democratisation on the continent, concern for African poverty is rising to unprecedented heights on the global agenda. Africa, consequently, stands at a crossroads. Will it meet this outside engagement passively or actively? The continent has vast deposits of the mineral and energy resources China seeks. But it also has critical points of leverage against Beijing. An active, nuanced policy toward China that balances long-term economic and security interests could accelerate progress on African priorities at home and abroad. But a passive policy that looks no further than feeding China's appetite for raw materials contains grave dangers. China is a key player influencing whether the world averts its eyes from human rights abuses and civil wars. And its growing manufacturing prowess is a direct economic threat to Africa. How Africa responds to China is the subject of this issue."
Read the full report @ the link below:
http://saiia.org.za/images/upload/eAfrica_February_2005.pdf
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