China’s Africa Policy: Business Now, Politics Later

For the last decade, and increasingly in the last three years, Chinese politicians and businessmen have been taking the African continent by storm. China’s growing demand for raw materials has led it to closer involvement in the continent, balancing its growing trade deficit with exports of commodities and labor. But China has not neglected the ideological component of its African policy and is stressing South-South cooperation and promotion of a new world order; it is turning much of its investment aid to Africa, and unlike the West, investment aid from China comes with no political strings attached. The question that this article addresses is China’s interest in and goals for its ties with Africa. Is China trying to consolidate a new world order, based on different moral values, conflicting with the current world order; or is China still a pragmatic actor; exploiting African resources in order to satisfy its growing demand for raw materials?