China’s Energy Diplomacy In Africa And The Sino-Africa Relations

Energy security becomes an issue of vital concern for governments around the globe.China’s economic growth resulted in greater energy needs which compelled the country to search overseas for alternative sources of oil supplies.For several reasons,Africa was perceived as a great opportunity for the expansion of Chinese energy interests.Although China was a newcomer to the oil business in Africa its energy diplomacy was fast at creating and seizing opportunities through the improvement of intergovernmental and bilateral relations based on mutual benefits of trade and economic cooperation shaping the Sino-African relations.This thesis examines the historical process of China’s energy diplomacy and the main characteristics of its energy diplomacy in the African continent to understand the strategies and impacts.Further,it dwells on the analysis of Sino-African relations from the beginning to recent times with the final goal to clarify the effects of China’s energy diplomacy on Sino-African relations.The conclusion highlights that energy diplomacy was extremely important to center the relation around economic concerns and advance the Sino-African cooperation,generating growth and development in the continent,while fostering a greater interdependence between economies and expand business opportunities within African.