| This paper divides China's African policies into four distinct time periods -- the revolutionary period of the 1960s, the stagnation period of the 1970s, the reforming period of the 1980s, and the new millennium -- with each period marked with a significant historical event. China's voyage did not always have a favorable wind. Instead, suffrages and setbacks are inevitable. China had embraced dramatic policy changes in its approach to Africa throughout this half-century long engagement and used Africa as a springboard to break international isolations and become a qualified global power. By analyzing both western and Chinese sources, this paper provides a unique lens of seeing China's transformation to the modernity from the mid-twentieth century. |
