Masaryk university faculty of social studies
Forms of Neo-Colonialism in Africa
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- 4 China in Africa
- 4.2 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
- 4.2.1 New Strategic Partnership
3.3 Forms of Neo-Colonialism in AfricaThere are three forms of neo-colonialism in Africa – real neo-colonialism, ultra neo-colonialism and auto-colonisation (Kabunda Badi 1996, 65). The ‘real neo-colonialism’ is exerted by former European colonial powers which continue to maintain a relation of dependency with their ancient colonies. In spite of the countries’ sovereignty, the neo-colonial powers have an important monopoly in decision-making. France is a supreme example of real neo-colonial country. Through the medium of French scholars, diplomats and military forces, France maintains a steady political and military control over its former African colonies. The colonies are obliged to consult the international issues with France, especially when it concerns French interest. France has rights for intervention which are used for suppression of opposition and maintenance of a favoured government. Prominent examples of the ‘ultra neo-colonialism’ are the US, erstwhile Soviet Union and China who did not colonise any African states but replaced the former colonial powers. While the US propagated the economic imperialism, the Soviet Union and China effused the ideological imperialism (Kabunda Badi 1996, 66). These neo-colonial powers use economic and military aid as a means of getting support. Direct military interventions secure their economic and political interests. The third form ‘auto colonisation’ is voluntary and is undertaken by the African elite students who study in the European and American universities and accept their values. Upon their arrival to the homeland; they become officials, military or administrative officers and abide by the neo-colonial rules. They contribute to the adoption of development models which result in exploitation (Kabunda Badi 1996, 67-8). 4 China in Africa4.1 History of China in AfricaThe contemporary China-Africa relations began during the 1950s. The reception of the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser by the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai at the Bandung Conference in 1955 was the first diplomatic meeting between China and Africa. During the 1950s and 1960s, China established diplomatic relations with 17 countries and supported liberation and anti-colonial movements (Fernando 2007, 363-5; Beri 2007, 298). China started providing interest-free loans and extended grants to its partner countries. However, after the outburst of Cultural Revolution in 1966, all Chinese ambassadors returned back to China. China continued to provide loans for infrastructure and agricultural projects and signed Agreements on Economic and Technical Cooperation. In the 1970s, 19 countries formed relations with China (Fernando 2007, 365-9). In the 1960-70s, the recognition of China in the UN emerged as the prime motivation for Chinese involvement in Africa. In 1971, the People’s Republic of China was recognised as the legitimate representative of China and it was for the most part due to the support of African countries (Zheng 2010, 271-2). During the 1980s and 1990s, new diplomatic relations were established with 9 countries (Fernando 2007, 369). Deng Xiaoping’s market reforms in the 1980s prioritised the domestic economic development and the amounts of ODA decreased severely. In spite of the Western criticism of the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989, African nations supported China (Zheng 2010, 272). Due to the economic Asian crisis in the 1990s, China implemented ‘going-out’ policy in 2001 to foster economic growth and increase exports. By the end of the 1990s, the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were restructured and Chinese companies started to invest abroad in order to become more competitive (Caniglia 2011, 171-3). During the period of 2000 through 2012, China established diplomatic relations with 5 countries. Currently, 4 countries1 in Africa do not recognize China (Kim 2012, 1; Zhi 2011, Embassy of PRC 2008). 4.2 Forum on China-Africa CooperationChina-Africa relations achieved a new dimension through founding of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000. This new platform was created to intensify and institutionalize China-Africa relations. As of 2012, FOCAC had 51 member states (Afrexim Bank 2012; Meibo and Xie 2012, 11). During the First Ministerial Conference of FOCAC (2000), China and Africa agreed to foster mutual economic cooperation and establish a new economic and political order (Fernando 2007, 370). The accomplishments included foundation of the Chinese Committee, release of Beijing Declaration and Programme for China-Africa Cooperation. The Second Ministerial Conference of FOCAC (2003) resulted in the release of Addis Ababa Action Plan. In 2006, the first White Paper on China-Africa Cooperation was published (CCS 2010h, 4). The paper was based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence2 (Broadman 2007, 171). At the Third Ministerial Conference of FOCAC (2006), China committed to providing $3 billion assistance in preferential loans to African countries. China increased the concessional grant loan to $10 billion during the Fourth Ministerial Conference (2009) (Shelton 2009, 6). 4.2.1 New Strategic PartnershipThe new strategic partnership was established at the FOCAC Beijing Summit in 2006 (Naidu 2007, 289; Campbell 2007, 131) and its goal is to ‘promote the independent choice of China and Africa, enhance solidarity, mutual support, assistance and unity of the developing countries and contribute to peace and harmonious development in the world’ (FOCAC 2006). The Fifth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC (2012) witnessed a consolidation of the partnership (Konigs 2007, 351; Embassy of PRC 2012a). China endeavours to increase the number of diplomatic exchanges, support African stability and continue to cooperate in the area of agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing and technology. Two important documents were released – Beijing Declaration and Beijing Action Plan. While Beijing Declaration commemorates the vision of FOCAC and defines the areas of interest, the Beijing Action Plan sets the measures for cooperation for the next three years (McDonald 2012, 7). Download 289.25 Kb. Share with your friends:
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