The new Special Relationship

Sino-African relations have a big part to play in global security, understanding the Chinese perspective is imperitive.
Earlier this year China expectedly passed Japan to become the world’s second largest economy. It is largely expected that the rising power in the East will surpass the United States within the next 15 years to become the world’s largest economy. This raises two types of questions, what are the effects? The main problem China faces is the changing shape of its economy of one being manufacturing to one of consumerism. With unprecedented growth in GDP since 1977 comes the increasing of purchasing power within its members of society as the middle class begins to bulge. It is widely commentated that those members that are becoming middle class are also beginning to consume vast quantities of meat which they wouldn’t have done before. The grain that used to feed themselves is now being fed to the animals that provide the meat, however this isn’t enough. And of course with an increase in consumerism comes an increasing in consumption of energy for such material items that come accustomed with middle income living.

Its relationship with Africa has become of increasing interest as it increasingly expands the long reaching arm of China with what can effectively be described as ‘land grab’ within the underdeveloped, resource rich continent. China’s increasing involvement with the continent is a sign of its economic and political intentions as Wen Jiabao noted in July of 2004 that “China and Namibia have conducted very good economic cooperation over the years, which is based on reciprocity and mutual benefit and has brought benefits to the two peoples”. Many realists would believe that their relationship with the developing countries is to gain alignment and support as it positions itself in the ever changing world order. However, continuing rhetoric would imply that China is simply acquiring the needs to continue the development of its economy and security. In coalition to this apparent strategy China entertains a non-interventionist foreign policy which allows it to keep a form of neutrality across contentious issues such as their abstention from the Libyan Resolution vote. Previously Liu Guijin, the Chinese government’s special representative to Africa, said in 2006 that “China has no intention to undermine Africa’s democracy. China is working hard to build a socialist democracy at home and promote human rights and good governance”.

As much as can be said for China’s non-intervention style foreign policy, accusations of its poor management in the Dafur situation in the last decade did question their legitimacy for economic involvement. Sino-Sudan relations are only apparent because of the U.S.’s decision to pull out of Khartoum when there was instability in the region and thus in accordance with their development policy it became untenable on the face of it. However this paved the way for a leading Chinese petroleum company to invest here. And thus Chinese involvement was blamed for violence in Sudan as claims from Save Darfur were made that China was the lead supplier of weapons in the region whereas in actual fact China only accounted for 8% arms sales and Russia accounted for almost 11 times that amount. This is a common example of China “bashing” from the West as it struggles to come to terms with a competitive power. Such organisations such as Save Darfur do have legitimate grounds to question China’s continued involvement in volatile areas however misuse of information can only create more anti-China speculation on a world stage where tolerance and understanding is paramount in future stability.