As Chinese investments on the African continent grow, questions have arisen regarding the ways in which the Chinese state and corporations protect assets and personnel abroad. More broadly, in what ways do such measures compromise China’s oft-touted “non-interference” policy? This research project, written in conjunction with Jiang Hengkun (Zhejiang Normal University) seeks to map out the terrain through an examination of Chinese security practices in South Sudan. By drawing on examples of scale, from state-owned oil enterprises to small urban traders, the research highlights varying roles which the Chinese state plays in relation to its citizens’ protection abroad. The research is based on a Saferworld funded field trip to South Sudan in April 2013.
Completed – For project output and results please see:
[External publication]
Contact: ranthony@sun.ac.za
The project engages in an empirical comparison between the economic relations of South Africa and the PRC, and South Africa and Taiwan, in light of the (potentially conflicting) foreign policy doctrine of ‘One China’. As its primary question, this research will examine the extent of political reach into the economic exchanges which occur between the three parties, with a specific focus on South Africa’s ability to navigate its way through such a challenging relationship. The project examines ways in which the harnessing and deployment of non-state-actors enables South Africa to adapt to new political contexts. More broadly, it is anticipated that this research will shed light on the primacy of economic trade with regards to South Africa’s foreign policy toward East Asia, and an underlying pragmatism which may be at odds with official policy.
In Africa, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), especially those that are Chinese led, have been a controversial issue with regard to their (expected) effects. On the one hand, African countries continue to plan the establishment of SEZs in the hope of attracting foreign investment and creating local employment. On the other hand, many commentators cast doubt on the effects of SEZs regarding any real contribution to the economic growth of the host country. Especially following several conflicts between Chinese management and local employees, labour issues in SEZs have been in the hot seat in the situation that the conditions of labour in host countries have deteriorated. Against this background, the proposed research aims to explore labour relations in SEZs in Southern African countries such as Zambia and Mauritius, as well as their implications for Chinese investors.
ntly undertaken under this research area is an environmental protection study on the regulation and management of national parks in China and South Africa. Due to the increasing loss of biodiversity globally, protected areas such as national parks, nature reserves, botanical gardens and historical areas have become necessary to establish. National parks, however, unlike the other protected areas have been viewed as more important for the safeguarding of biodiversity as they not only serve as tourist attractions but primarily, and under strict regulation, as a protected space for ecological systems and natural habitats. In China, a variety of external threats such as development, industrialisation, agriculture and high population growth have had extreme consequences for the country’s rich biodiversity. This has further led to a need for environmental protection through an increase in protected areas. This study thus examines the current state of protected areas in China as well as their recent establishment of national parks. Similar to China, South Africa also has some of the richest biodiversity in the world and has been facing similar threats to its natural environment. For this reason, this study also examines South Africa’s much older national parks system and uses the South African case as an example of where China could potentially learn from another country.
