Hanging SeparatelyWhy China and Africa are unable to meet as equals

China and Africa GDP, 1960-2012

China and U.S. GDP, 1960-2012

China-Africa Interactions Pre-1950

Zheng He(1371-1433)

Muslim Eunuch, commander of Nanjing, fleet admiral, diplomat, mariner.

Zheng He’s voyages, 1405-1433

Parallel Histories

Pre-Colonial

Colonial

Independence

Imperial

Colonial Influence

1912 Revolution

1949 Revolution

Africa China

1911 Independence Flag

Red: Han

Yellow: Manchus

Blue: Mongols

Hui (Muslims): White

Black: Tibetans

Colonialism, 1898

Colonialism, 1920

Colonialism, 1936

Colonialism, 1945

Six Decades of PRC-Africa Relations

50s-60s“One China”, UN votes, diplomatic recognition

70s-80sSino-Soviet conflicts, “One China”, domestic focus

90s-00s“Brand” management, rapid growth, secure supply chain

Independence, by decade

African Nations(Ordered by first recognition of the PRC)

Egypt

Morocco

Algeria

Sudan

Guinea

Ghana

Mali

Somalia

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tanzania

Uganda

Kenya

Burundi

Tunisia

Congo, Brazzaville

Central African Republic

Zambia

Benin

Mauritania

Equatorial Guinea

Ethiopia

Nigeria

Cameroon

Sierra Leone

Rwanda

Senegal

Mauritius

Togo

Madagascar

Chad

Burkino Faso

Guinea Bissau

Gabon

Niger

Gambia

Botswana

MozambiqueSão Tomé and Príncipe

Comoro Islands

Cape Verde

Seychelles

Liberia

Libya

Djibouti

Zimbabwe

Angola

Côte d'Ivoire

Lesotho

Namibia

Eritrea

South Africa

Malawi

South Sudan

Swaziland (never recognized)

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence

1. mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity2. mutual non-aggression3. non-interference in each other's internal affairs4. equality and mutual benefit5. peaceful coexistence.

Originally set forth by Premier Zhou Enlaito the Indian delegation in 1953-1954

Six Decades of PRC-Africa Relations

50s-60s“One China”, UN votes, diplomatic recognition

70s-80sSino-Soviet conflicts, “One China”, domestic focus

90s-00s“Brand” management, rapid growth, secure supply chain

UN recognizes PRC, 1971

Nixon visits Beijing, 1972

[The guiding principle of Chinese diplomacy in the 1980s changed from] “ideological idealism to pragmatic idealism and from unconditional internationalism to a priority of national interest."

—He WenpingChinese Africanist

Six Decades of PRC-Africa Relations

50s-60s“One China”, UN votes, diplomatic recognition

70s-80sSino-Soviet conflicts, “One China”, domestic focus

90s-00s“Brand” management, rapid growth, secure supply chain

The Party(Communist Party of China)

18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China

Hu Jintao’s “Four Nos”

1. no hegemonism2. no power politics3. no military alliances4. no arms races

1997 ASEAN Summit

Trade between Africa and China 1995-2008

Egypt

Free Officers’ Revolt, 1952Mubarak deposed, 2011

Sudan

Independence, 1956Coup d'état, 1969Coup d'état, 1971

1972, civil war hiatusCoup d'état, 1989

South Sudan separates, 2011

Burkina Faso

Formerly Upper VoltaIndependence 1984

Coup d'état, 1987

Ghana

Independence 1957Coup d'état, 1966

Various coups 1966-1981Elections 1992

Kwame Nkrumah and Mao Zedong

Nigeria

Independence 1960Variosu coups, civil war,

1966-1970Military junta, 1970, coups,

juntaElections 1999

“Chinese citizens found in oil installations will be treated as thieves. The Chinese government by investing in stolen crude places its citizens in our line of fire.”

—Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)

Equatorial Guinea

Independence 1968Coup d'état, 1979

Tanzania

Independence 1961Merge with Zanzibar, 1964

Angola

Independence 1975Ceasefire, 2002Elections 2008

South Africa

Independence 1931Transition to Republic, 1961

First universal elections, 1994

Zimbabwe

Formerly South RhodesiaDeclaration of independence,

1964“Zimbabwe Rhodesia”, 1979

Elections, 1980Transition to Republic, 1961

First universal elections, 1994

“It is possible to build an unequal relationship, the kind of relationship that has developed between African countries as colonies. The African continent exports raw material and imports manufactured goods, condemning (it) to underdevelopment”

—President Thabo Mbeki, South Africa, 2006

Further Resources