Identity, Interests: The Expansion Of Sino-African Relations And Its Implications For Africa's International Standing

As the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union have halted the bipolar era, Africa has become no more strategically significant in the international arena. Western countries have "retreated" from Africa, letting the continent at a crossroads in the international arena, with no other alternative great power to turn to for support. However, with the emergence in the global stage of China as a world class powerhouse and its expanding presence in Africa, this pattern started to shift.Therefore, this thesis is about Sino-African relations in general, and their expansion in the context of China's rise as a world political and economic power in particular, and the effects this expansion has on Africa's strategic significance in the international arena. The aim of this study was essentially to analyze the dynamic behind the expansion of Sino-African Relations in recent years, and its implications for Africa's strategic significance in the world, i.e. the standing of Africa in the world in terms of being politically and economically of interest to the world dominant powers.The research concludes that as a consequence of China's growing high profile presence in Africa, Africa is back again on the spotlight of international politics, as the great powers are again scrambling for access and influence in the continent. Traditional partners such as Europe and the United States are now stepping up their efforts to court Africa, with renewed focus on trade, investment, and security....They are not alone anymore, new players such as India are also emerging on the African scene, cultivating their relations with African countries. This new "scramble for Africa" has relations to China's growing influence in the continent. Meanwhile, the research analyzes the expansion of Sino-African relations from the perspectives of the three dominant paradigms of international relations theory, realism, liberalism, and social constructivism, and concludes that both realism and constructivism explain well the expansion of Sino-African relations. The constructivist concept of identity is relevant in explaining Sino-African relations. Identity is in part, what makes China and Africa "hang together;" and serves as a tool to reinforce and expand this relationship. However, realism which focuses on interests is the theory that best explains the expansion of Sino-African relations, because throughout their history, China's relations with Africa have been driven by the pursuit of interests, be they ideological, economic, or diplomatic. As for liberalism, it describes some features of the expanding Sino-African relations, like interdependence, globalization, and soft power...However, liberalism is much more descriptive than being a causal factor in the expansion of the relationship.Meanwhile, the expansion of China's presence in Africa not only has implications for Africa's international standing in terms of its importance to great powers, but it is also raising the issue of ideological influence in Africa over the question of development model and even political system; in other words, the relevance of the Beijing Consensus to Africa.The research analyses the Beijing Consensus from two dimensions; first the Beijing Consensus as China's approach to dealing with Africa, and which is characterized by its focus on equality, respect and win-win cooperation, is what makes China attractive in Africa, in contrast to the paternalism of the Western-inspired Washington Consensus. This dimension of the Beijing consensus is reshaping Africa's international standing, because it has succeeded in gaining the hearts and minds of people in Africa. And China's success in Africa is making Africa attractive to other great powers. Second, the Beijing Consensus as China's development model has at best limited impact in Africa, because, in line with its principle of non-interference in others countries' internal affairs, China is not promoting it to other countries. And in Africa, the Washington Consensus/neo-liberal model is already the dominant paradigm.Finally, the rise of China in the international arena is a unique opportunity for Africa. Africa could take profit of its growing interactions with China to transform itself. However, African countries' internal structural weaknesses limit their ability to fully benefit from the China opportunity. Unless they address these weaknesses, they risk missing this huge opportunity.