A Comparative Study Of Chinese And American NGOs In Africa

With the development of economic globalization and social informatisation,the international system which is mainly constituted by nation states is undergoing great adjustment.NGOs are playing a vital role in international relations and shall not be neglected in diplomatic practice.As the continent with the largest number of developing countries,Africa has been a destination for NGOs from the West,and could be a test field for Chinese NGOs to go out.This thesis is aimed at making a comparative study on the activities of Chinese and American NGOs in Africa,finding the commons and differences,analyzing the reasons behind,and giving advices for Chinese NGOs to participate in Sino-African relations.Besides the introduction and the conclusion,the thesis is divided into six chapters.Chapter one explains the concept of NGO and discussed the role of NGO in socialized diplomacy.Chapter two tries to give a full picture on the history and current status of the Chinese and American NGOs active in Africa,analyzing the features of different stages and the reasons behind.Chapter three analyses the role of NGOs in Chinese and American foreign policy towards Africa.The U.S.NGOs have been used as a tool to promote democracy and human rights in Africa,while Chinese NGOs are considered as a channel of people-to-people exchanges.Chapter four is a comparative study on the official mechanisms of China and the U.S.to support its NGOs to play in Africa.The State Department of the United States is the most important backer of U.S.NGOs in Africa.In China,this role is played by the International Department of the CPC,instead of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The U.S.NGOs have been deeply involved in the implementation of official development aid.Although China has provided a large amount of official aid to Africa,yet its NGOs are rarely involved in.Chapter six tries to look the Chinese and U.S.NGOs in Africa with an African perspective.Chinese and American development models are warmly welcomed by Africa,which has created a favorable environment for their NGOs to carry out activities in Africa.African countries welcome U.S.NGOs but also hate its interference of internal affairs.Africa has placed great hope on Chinese NGOs,but also doubts their standards and independence.Chapter six is a case study on Kenya.The conclusion part thinks profoundly on how Chinese NGOs could play a bigger role in Sino-African relations,and advises the Chinese government to build a new model to encourage Chinese NGOs to participate in its diplomatic practice towards Africa.