Wow! eBook
The New Presence of China in Africa (European Association of Development Institutes Publications)
Author(s): Meine Pieter van Dijk (Editor)
- Publisher: Routledge
- Publication Date: August 26, 2009
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 224 pages
- ISBN-10: 908964136X
- ISBN-13: 9789089641366
Book Description
China's economic and political presence in Africa has expanded drastically over the past decade, especially in the sub-Saharan region. Convinced that Western attempts at providing aid to Africa have failed, Chinese officials have sought new forms of aid and invested billions to push further development in Africa. But some in the United States and around the word fear that China's interest in sub-Saharan Africa could threaten previous efforts to protect human rights and to promote democracy in the region. The New Presence of China in Africa takes on this controversial issue, offering an overview of the Chinese model and evaluating whether it might serve as an example for future Western endeavors.
From the Back Cover
This book describes China's growing range of activities in Africa, especially in the sub-Saharan region. The three most important instruments China has at its disposal in Africa are development aid, investments and trade policy. The Chinese government, which believes the Western development aid model has failed, is looking for new forms of aid and development in Africa. China's economic success can partly be ascribed to the huge availability of cheap labour, which is primarily employed in export-oriented industries. China is looking for the required raw materials in Africa, and for new marketplaces. Investments are being made on a large scale in Africa by Chinese state-controlled firms and private companies, particularly in the oil-producing countries (Angola, Nigeria and Sudan) and countries rich in minerals (Zambia). Third, the trade policy China is conducting is analysed in China and compared with that of Europe and the United States.In case studies the specific situation in several African countries is examined. In Zambia the mining industry, construction and agriculture are described. One case study of Sudan deals with the political presence of China in Sudan and the extent to which Chinese arms suppliers contributed to the current crisis in Darfur. The possibility of Chinese diplomacy offering a solution in that conflict is discussed.The conclusion considers whether social responsibility can be expected of the Chinese government and companies and if this is desirable, and to what extent the Chinese model in Africa can act as an example – or not – for the West.
About the Author
Meine Pieter van Dijk is professor of water services management at UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in Delft, professor of entrepreneurship at the Maastricht School of Management, and professor of urban management at the Institute of Social Studies and at the Institute of Housing and Urban Development of the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
