An Assessment Of The Impact Of China's Presence In Africa 1955-2015

The presence of China in Africa is one of the most controversial matters in contemporary politics and bears enormous implications for both continents i.e. Africa and Asia, as well as posing difficult challenges to the world order as we know it. China's growth in the past thirty years has had a powerful impact and has changed the very nature of the International Relations.The pivotal question at the heart of the Sino-Africa relation is whether China is a new colonial power; interested mainly in securing access and in hoarding Africa's abundant but yet finite natural resources; or whether it is a credible solution to Africa's problems dating back to the era of Western colonialism pertaining to infrastructural neglect, poverty traps and marginalization The glaring division amongst scholars as well as African policy makers is further perpetuated by issues such as lack of transparency, secrecy with regards to financial figures as well as the disinterest in compliance with the DAC(Developmental Assistance Committee), the World Bank and other traditional Aid donor institutions. China's foreign policy of non-interference has also come under heavy criticism as many see it as carte blache to secure its interests by funding rogue governments in Africa, while some policy makers in Africa are of the view that China is directly and indirectly contributing to the de-industrialization of Africa.This thesis has attempts to evaluate the arguments for and against the presence of China in Africa as well as the inextricable ties that are currently being forged by both the Chinese and the African governments. The Sino-Africa engagement should be viewed from the context of its historical origin. The common misplaced assumption by many analysts on this topic often neglect that the foundations of this exchange stems from a period preceding the recent emergence of China as a exponentially growing economy. The prevailing views that sees China's presence in Africa as a means to fuel its industrial base ignores largely the background on which this relation rests. Our views should necessarily be different from that put forward by Western analysts and should bring forth unadulterated point of view of China and Africa. We can deduce from this body of work that the major driving forces for the closer ties between the two are the undeniable needs that these parties have for one another i.e. solidarity in the international governance forums, the need for affordable goods and technology, the concerted drive for modernization and the need for raw materials and capital. This paper seeks to investigate the feasibility of the alternative approaches of China and Africa, with specific focus on issues such as Aid, Trade, mutual development as well as political and environmental implications that this cooperation shall have on the landscape of Africa in the foreseeable future. The south-south cooperation should seek to pronounce a position that is uniquely its own and devoid of antagonistic voices outside of its own arrangements.