Friends and Interests: China's Distinctive Links with Africa

It is not clear whether the differences outlined here will persist over the long term. Among major powers at any given time, there are always differences in approach to subaltern states. The very process of differentiating superordinate and subordinate states and dominant and subaltern peoples tends over time, however, to make the conduct of great powers and their elites more similar than different. In a decade or two we should be able to determine whether that will be the case as well with China in Africa.

Acknowledgment

This research has been generously funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council.

Notes

1. According to Eisenman and Kurlantzick (2006:224), in order to avoid a Chinese victory on the continent, Washington needs to convince Africans to work more closely with the U.S., E.U., and international financial institutions.

2. Both China and the U.S. are seeking FTAs with the Southern African Customs Union. Bilateral FTAs weaken poor countries' power in multilateral trade negotiations by fragmenting their coalitions, and they also harm third parties (see Bhagwati & Panagariya 2003; McDonald & Walmsley 2003).

3. See Kaplan (2005) on Taiwanese and U.S. support for Chad's authoritarian regime.

4. The U.N., E.U., Medecins sans Frontieres, and leading Darfur specialists dispute U.S. claims of genocide in Darfur (Cornwell 2005; Carroll 2004; Birchall 2006; Waal 2007). For a penetrating analysis of the politics of the claim, see Mamdani (2007). Meanwhile, China has sought, seemingly successfully, to persuade Sudanese leaders to accept U.N. troops to serve alongside African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (see Shichor 2007). The U.S. improved political relations with Sudan in 2001-5. In 2006 it initiated International Military Education and Training programs for Sudanese officers (The Twisted... 2006; AllAfrica.com. 2006).

5. See Butler (2005); WWF (2005); Commey (2003); Turner and Kim (2007); Thornton (2005:65); Greenpeace (2000); Illegal Logging (2006). Three-quarters of China's imported timber comes from the Asia Pacific. Much of the remainder is from Africa and amounted, in 2003, to 42% of Africa's timber exports. Many developed countries also import a high percentage of their tropical timber from Africa, e.g., 83% of Spain's in 2000 and 98% of Germany's in 2002.

6. The overall China-Africa Export Similarity Index is 4% (IADB 2006:8). About 85% of cloth used in African apparel exports to the U.S. is made with third-country, mainly Chinese, fabric (LExpress 2005; EAS 2006).

7. See People's Daily (2006); UNOSAA (2005); UNCTAD (2006a); AMPlify Wharton (2003); Harsch (2003); Konopo (2005); Shinn and Eisenman (2005); Thomsen (2005); Thiong'o (2006); Press Trust of India (2007); Sutte (2005); USDOC (2006:4); Pan (2006); China Daily (2006a); Economist (2004); Dixon (2007); Ethiopian Herald (2007); Christian Science Monitor (2007).

8. See Akinjide (2005); USDOE (2004); Jaffer (2004); USDS (2005); International Energy Agency (2004); Lee (2006); Petroleum Economist (2006); Booker and Colgan (2006); Wall Street Journal (2007); Houston Chronicle (2007).