Superpowers: China into Africa Flashcards
opportunities
China-Africa relations are based on trade, not ex-colonial ties
Chinese mines and factories bring jobs and raise incomes and GDP
In order to develop mining and factory investment, China has invested huge sums in HEP, railways, ports and roads - which can be used more widely
China-Africa trade was worth $200 billion in 2016, a huge sum for a developing region
challenges
Countries without natural resources China wants are left out
Many jobs area actually done by Chinese migrant labour which numbers over 1 million workers
Mining and oil exploitation risks causing deforestation, oil spills and water pollution
Cheap Chinese imported goods have undercut some local African producers, especially of textiles
Africa’s economic model is still cheap raw material exports, and expensive manufactured exports
economic centre of gravity
Mid-Atlantic
Belt and Road Initiative
‘one belt’- countries extending from Russia and Mongolia, through Central Asia to Western Europe
‘one road’- extending influence into Southeast Asia and India, then to the Middle East and East Africa
The aim is form a cohesive economic area by building infrastructure to increase trade and enhance cultural exchanges. The initiative places China firmly on the world stage and should not be under estimated- China plans US$ 46 billion investment in Pakistan alone.
The BRI has two components: 1. development of overland infrastructure
2. expansion of maritime over the Indian and Atlantic Oceans (transporting Chinese goods to East, South and West Africa.)
For instance, China plans to use the $3.2 billion Kenya rail line to eventually connect Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Ethiopia, placing Kenya at the centre of an East African rail network. Ultimately, China aims to create satellite states that orbit around the Chinese economy
