Study On The Influential Factors Of China’s Image In Africa By The Economic-Trade Approach

Since the foundation of People’s Republic of China, a deep friendship has been forged between China and Africa. As a consequence China’s aid to Africa are growing, which gradually result in a selfless image. After the reform and opening up of China, China’s economy have developed quickly. At the same time, China’s beg African policy adjustments were aggressively implemented to strengthen the trade and investment cooperation. During this period, the image in terms of the mutual reciprocity was gradually formed in Africa. At the beginning of the 21st century, the first session cooperation forum of Sina-Africa has been established. It means that the economic and cooperation between China and Africa rise to a new level. With the growing scale and the expanding scope of trade and investment, it becomes a trend that a large number of Chinese companies, people and goods are brought to Africa, as well as African businessmen explore investment opportunities in China or Africa’s students study abroad in China. According to the 2015 pew survey data, it shows that Africa’s perception of China’s image becomes much better than other continents. Furthermore the curve indicates a steady upward trend. And other advanced economies have a inverted result such as the United States, the European Union, Japan and so on. African countries and the above-mentioned countries are influenced on China’s image by the common cognitive differences in ideology, social system and culture on China’s image. But cognitive results are so different. Therefore, this thesis mainly discusses the factors that affect China’s national image in Africa. And they are On economic and trade cooperation growing, cultural exchanges frequently, or other factors. To account of it, this research intend to analysis the factors on the basis of reviewing related literature by a empirical model.Abstractly, social cognition theory is used as the tool for reviewing the development of Sina-Africa economic and trade relations, as well as the changes of the national image. Sina-Africa trade and economic cooperation play a decisive role in China national image in Africa. Therefore, the national image was considered as a social cognitive results and a national image analysis framework was developed in this paper. In this framework, the cognitive subject, the cognitive object and the cognitive context were treated as one of the factors that affect the national image. Combined with changes in Africa’s goodwill, eight variables were designed. And they are from the three dimensions design:cognitive subject (economic and social development in Africa), the cognitive object (China economic development and social development level) and cognitive situation (Sina-Africa economic and trade relations, cultural exchange). Through regression analysis, it shows that six variables are statistically significant, including Africa’s unemployment rate, China’s GDP, ranking of China’s human development index, number of African students in China, Africa’s trade exports and contracting construction projects in the complete turnover in China. China on the export trade volume, contracting construction projects in the complete turnover in China and the change of the intimate sense for China of Africa move to the same direction; China’s GDP, ranking of China’s human development index, number of African students in China, Africa’s unemployment rate and the change of the intimate sense for China of Africa move to the opposite direction.Finally, this thesis deemed that Africans put more attention towards the social development:for Africa, Africa’s unemployment rate has already become the most urgent problem, which effects mostly the ordinary African livelihood and root development; for China, the rapid developmental economy cannot cheer African as usual. Now, people pay more attention to China’s social development. In addition, Sina-Africa trade and economic cooperation returns the affirmation and praise from African. However Sina-Africa inter-flow has brought more negative image.The conclusions are significant for forming the responsible image of China in Africa.