FOCAC IV: New Directions in China-Africa Relations

November 2009 – Issue 46

The November China Monitor focuses on the fourth FOCAC Ministerial Meeting (FOCAC IV) in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt. With proceedings concluded, numerous new commitments have been made by China to strengthen its ties with Africa. These aim to extend Chinese aid and trade with the continent, as well as to deepen China’s involvement in human resource- and skills development on the continent.

The Commentary piece: “What’s to be done after the fourth FOCAC? by Professor Li Anshan, Peking University, takes a practical look at the various developments and commitments made between China and the African countries present at FOCAC IV with regards to the mutual capacity for implementation on both sides.

The Policy Watch piece is by Professor Garth Shelton, University of the Witwatersrand. In “FOCAC IV – New opportunities for Africa” he explores some of the commitments and declarations made at FOCAC IV, with an eye to tracking the areas of activity in which major commitments have been made.

The Monitor subsequently tracks China’s local and international business news as well as China’s interaction with Africa over the past month.

 Download PDF – China Monitor – Issue 46 – November 2009

Turning Over a New Leaf: China, Africa and the Global Environmental Regime

October 2009 – Issue 45

The October China Monitor focuses on China and Africa’s evolving role in the Global Environmental regime. With the opening of the only two months away, the issue of the collective governance of the global environment is high on the agenda of most governments across the world.

As the fastest industrializing nation and with a very sizeable appetite for energy and other resources – but also as one of the world‟s leading polluters – China is likely to play a key role at the upcoming 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (or Copenhagen Summit). Negotiations around the reduction of carbon emissions and the development of renewable energy will top the agenda.

The Commentary piece is by Alistair Schorn, Executive Manager, WWF’s Trade and Investment Programme, WWF-South Afric. In “The Environmental Impact of China’s Activities in Africa” he notes that the trend of Chinese outward investment into resource extraction activities in Africa (as well as into other regions) has received significant attention from WWF and other actors in the environmental sphere. This is due to the potential that such investment activities hold for significant environmental impacts, and the fact that in many instances the areas in which these resources are located are amongst the most ecologically sensitive on the continent.

The Policy Watch piece is by Alexandra Wang, University of Amsterdam. In “Locating China’s position in Multilateral Climate Change Negotiations” She notes that with the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012 there are great expectations surrounding the upcoming 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 15) in Copenhagen, Denmark. COP 15 is expected to establish binding rules as part of a post-Kyoto Climate Change regime and none doubt China’s role is to be significant in these negotiations.

The Monitor subsequently tracks China’s local and international business news as well as China’s interaction with Africa over the past month.

Download PDF – China Monitor – Issue 45 – October 2009

Contemporary Sino-Zambian Relations

September 2009 – Issue 44

The September China Monitor focuses on Contemporary Sino-Zambian Relations. China’s presence in Zambia’s mining sector has grown in recent years, although the Asian power has also become involved in other sectors, including agriculture and the construction industry. In this edition of China Monitor the focus falls on the numerous forms of Chinese involvement in Zambia and the longer term implications for the African country.

The Commentary piece is by Dan Haglund, PhD candidate, University of Bath. In “Regulating diversity: China and the changing composition of Zambia’s mining sector,” he explores how changes in the composition of Zambia’s mining sector are shaping state-firm relations and the country’s ability to regulate mining practices.

The Policy Watch piece Is by Yan Hairong & Barry Sautman, respectively Associate Professor and Assistant Professor, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Hong Kong Polytechnic University  In “Chinese Activities in Zambia: More than Just Mining” they confront depictions of a large influx of Chinese into Zambia that has produced little more than exploitation of copper resources and mine labour. Based on a hundred-plus interviews with Zambians and Chinese in Zambia, they explore the diversity of Chinese activity in the Central African state.

The Monitor subsequently tracks China’s local and international business news as well as China’s interaction with Africa over the past month.

Download PDF – China Monitor – Issue 44 – September 2009

Making it in China: The South African experience in the Peoples’ Republic

China Monitor: August 2009 - Issue 43August 2009 – Issue 43

The August China Monitor focuses on the experiences of South Africans living and working in China.

The Commentary Piece is Natasha Pamplin-Bailey, a journalist living and working in Beijing who recently received a coveted China EXIM Bank Scholarship for study in the PRC. She interviews a successful South African entrepeneur working in Beijing, and through his experiences reflects on the opportunities and challenges for South Africans in China’s cosmopolitan capital.

The Policy Watch section is by Tebogo Lefifi, the CCS Representative in Beijing and fellow recipient of a China EXIM Bank Scholarship. She assesses the experience for South African students travelling to study in China and reflects on the reception many receive when they arrive in the country.

The Monitor subsequently tracks China’s local and international business news as well as China’s interaction with Africa over the past month.

Download PDF – China Monitor – Issue 43 – August 2009

China’s Growing Relationship With Francophone Africa

China Monitor - Issue 42 - July 2009June 2009 – Issue 42

I was recently in Dakar, Senegal. Walking around the mass market in the city, it is very evident that “Made in China” labeled products have rapidly made inroads into Senegal‟s supply chains.

But its not only in consumer products that China is having an impact on the Senegalese economy. Writing in the Financial Times last year Senegal‟s President Abdoulaye Wade – a vocal supported of China‟s growing presence in Africa – asserted that “With direct aid, credit lines and reasonable contracts, China has helped African nations build infrastructure projects in record time – bridges, roads, schools, hospitals, dams, legislative buildings, stadiums and airports. In many African nations, including Senegal, improvements in infrastructure have played important roles in stimulating economic growth.

Commentary on China-Africa relations has until now focused largely on China‟s growing interests in English and Portuguese speaking African states. In particular, Angola has become the typical China-Africa researcher‟s favourite. But anecdotal evidence suggests that China‟s relations with Francophone African states is burgeoning as it is with more “traditional” African countries where a mounting body of research is being built. Yet relatively little work is being done in the realm of China-Africa ties in a region that accounts for 32% of Africa‟s population.

This month‟s China Monitor begins the discussion on China‟s rising relations with Francophone Africa.

Download PDF – China Monitor – Issue 42 – July 2009