IntroductionThis chapter documents and assesses the trade patterns and investment relations
between Africa and Asia, with an emphasis given to the roles of China and India. The analysis focuses not only on the historical trend of African-
Asian trade and investment
flows at the aggregate level, but also on emerging patterns of these flows at the country (or subregional) levels. The chapter also explores the main determinants of trade and investment flows between
Africa
and Asia, setting the stage for the discussion in subsequent chapters.
To set the context, the chapter begins with
a discussion of Africa andAsia’s roles in the world economy, with
a focus on those of China andIndia. Emphasis is given to the fact that Africa is a highly heterogeneous continent of 47 countries, each having
different-sized economies, populations,
and surface areas, and where GDP per capita ranges from less than to $7,000. It is also a highly segmented continent with extremely inconvenient and costly transportation, contributing to its small role in global trade and investment.
The subsequent analysis of the current patterns of trade and investment between Africa and Asia suggests that the recent boom in international commerce is largely driven by complementarities
between the two regions,
for example, with Africa’s needs for Chinese and Indian manufactured
CHAPTER 2
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