Harmonious Development: The Study Of China’s Aid To Africa

“Harmony” is the humane spirit of Chinese culture generally and widely acceptedby Chinese people. Deeply rooted in all times in Chinese ideological culture, it runsthrough the whole process of ideological and cultural development. Applied to the fieldof international relations, Chinese traditional “harmony” thought absorbs the commonhuman civilization achievements such as law, democracy, science and sustainabledevelopment. It is given Chinese outstanding traditional culture with the spirit of thetimes and also makes the contemporary international society gain enlightenment fromChinese traditional wisdom. It is full of science, rationality and universality–a newcontribution that China makes to world peace and development.China’s aid to Africa is one of the important components of Sino-African relations.The essence of China’s aid to Africa is win-win situation. The goal is to achieve aharmonious and common development and cooperation in order to promote therenaissance of the Afro-Asian World and the harmonious development of the world.For this dissertation, in addition to Introduction and Conclusion, the body isdivided into five chapters.The Introduction firstly presents the research background, purpose and significanceof this subject, and analyses present domestic and foreign research situation in order todiscuss the value of this dissertation. Secondly it introduces the study method andframework of this dissertation and shows its innovations and deficiencies.Chapter One deals with the concepts and related theory research. Firstly, the authordefines the concept of “Foreign Aid” based on the domestic and foreign analysis offoreign aid concept. Secondly, the author elaborates the theory of foreign aid from theperspective of the traditional realism, idealism and constructivism especially interpretsit from the perspective of international politics with the Chinese traditional ideology of harmony. Finally, the author puts forward China’s aid to Africa “the Harmony View”, inthe absorption of reasonable composition of realism, idealism and constructivism,combination with the essence of Chinese traditional ideology of harmony andapplication to the field of international politics.From Chapter Two to Chapter Four, the author systematically summarizes andgeneralizes the development course of China’s aid to Africa. According to thedevelopment stage characteristics of China’s aid to Africa, the author divides thedevelopment process into three stages, elaborating respectively the background, thediscourse, the course and the efficiency. The period of1956–1978is the starting stagefor China’s aid to Africa, namely the political harmony development stage ofSino-African relations. During this period China and Africa shared common colonizedand oppressed historical experience, and were facing the common tasks of economicdevelopment and political fighting against imperialism and hegemonism. Chinaformed the aid discourse to Africa in the principle of proletarian internationalism, aidedAfrican countries selflessly and greatly supported Africa’s national independence andliberation. Meanwhile, African countries also firmly supported China in theinternational arena and made China extend further diplomatic space. The period of1978–1995is the reform stage, which is also the stage of Sino-African economic harmoniousdevelopment. After reform and opening-up, China changed accordingly its historicalmission and specific connotation of the aid to Africa because of respectivetransformation, developed the aid discourse in the internationalist principles, actedaccording China’s ability and reformed the mode of aid, changing from stressing theideological idea to paying attention to economic benefits and from the initial period offree aid to mutual beneficial cooperation. The period from1995to now is the all-rounddevelopment innovation stage for China’s aid to Africa, as well as the Sino-Africanperfect and harmonious development stage. Since the nineteen nineties, Sino-Africanrelations have entered a period of rapid development, which is lifted to a strategic heightby Chinese government. With the domestic and international situation changes duringnew period, China has further promoted the mode reform of aid to Africa andprovided large-scale aid under the framework of “the Forum on China-AfricaCooperation”(FOCAC). Apart from the traditional economic aid, China hassignificantly increased aid of education, health, culture, science, technology and other related areas of people’s livelihood, especially to enhance African countries’ ability ofindependent construction and management. China is strengthening the comprehensivecooperation with Africa, committed to the establishment of the new-type Sino-Africanstrategic partnership.In Chapter Five the author first analyses the characteristic and essence of China’said to Africa, pointing out the aid is a mutual benefit on the basis of no politicalconditions attached to. Then the author points out the positive significance andshortcomings of China’s aid to Africa and therefore puts forward correspondingcountermeasures and suggestions combining with the opportunities and challenges.For Conclusion, the author thinks that China’s aid to Africa belongs to sustainable,harmonious and cooperative development full of vigor and vitality between China andAfrica instead of dead aid. Africa does need aid of equality and mutual benefit toenhance African development ability. China’s aid to Africa is of great significance toSino-African relations and even to the Afro-Asian World. Finally the author points outthe further research space: how to build the aid theory with Chinese characteristicsthrough the aid practice, how to promote the renaissance of the Afro-Asian World andthe construction of the “Harmonious World”.