China and its quest for a place in the sun: China in Africa: Chris Alden: Review

Zed / 2007 / £12.99

Chris Alden is a lecturer at the LSE and his book, China in Africa, provides a brief introduction to China’s increasing involvement in Africa. It seeks to assess whether China’s involvement will be that of “a partner, economic competitor or hegemon”. This discussion arises from China’s playing up of its “anti-imperialist” and “communist” past, its historical support for national liberation struggles and position as a “third world” country like Africa.

While Alden does consider the impact of colonialism on African governments, he is well aware that the contemporary Chinese relationship with Africa is at root much more basic. He quotes Philip Snow: “[A] frank quest for profits by both China and its African partners might well, in the end, prove a more solid basis for their future relationship than the continuing attempt to sustain a rhetorical unity.” (p135)

And Alden provides plenty of evidence to show that the surge of trade and investment since the turn of the millennium is fuelled by just such a pragmatic relationship, as China seeks to secure supplies of raw materials for its burgeoning industrial base.

Its involvement in Sudan which, alongside Tibet, has been the subject of so much focus in the western media, shows this:

“Since 1996, over US$15 billion has been invested by China, primarily in the oil industry and related infrastructure projects. As in Angola, a network of refineries, roads, railways, hydroelectric dams, gold mining and telecommunications has blossomed across the country.” (p61)

 Bilateral trade has increased from $890mn in 2000 to $3.9bn in 2005, while China has consolidated its hold on Sudan’s national resources through a 40% stake in the Greater Nile Petroleum Company.

This pattern is repeated with Angola, which is now China’s single largest supplier of oil and China’s largest trading partner in Africa – it accounted for 21% of its trade with the continent in 2006. In Nigeria, a Chinese oil company bought a 45% stake in an oil field in 2005 for $2.5billion. China’s trade with the continent as a whole has increased from $5bn in 1999 to $50bn in 2006, and is set to double again by 2010.

China in Africa provides an interesting overview of contemporary Chinese involvement in Africa. Its expansion and influence is causing growing concern amongst the big imperialist powers as the struggle for oil and natural resources becomes more crucial in the 21st century. As in the previous period of globalisation at the end of the nineteenth century the struggle to control Africa’s politics and resources is hotting up.

Tue 02, December 2008 @ 17:42