Dancing with the Dragon: Africa's Courtship with China

This paper examines the deepening economic relationship between Africa and China as manifested in the explosive growth in trade and investment. Celebrated by some and condemned by others, it is a relationship that cannot be ignored and is of great interest to African and Chinese policy makers and peoples. It has raised concerns in Western capitals and the media and is the subject of a rapidly expanding literature. The paper explores the three dominant ways in which the relationship tends to be framed: in terms of imperialism, globalization, and solidarity and argues that we need to develop a more historically informed approach that transcends these perspectives and recognizes the complexities, contradictions and changing dynamics of Africa's age-old engagements with China. The paper argues that like all major powers, China seeks to promote its own interests in dealings with African countries; hence the responsibility to make the relationship beneficial for Africa lies with African governments and civil societies working in concert also to protect their own interests.