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To me China's move into africa primarily means this. Yeah, i don't know how to embed a video in a blog, maybe I should ask dctobc.

Anyway, some people view China as this new savior that will change things for Africa because 'They don't tell us what to do'. Well, this is my answer to that:

China has made a significant return on the African scene. This return was sparked by the Western world’s reaction to Tiananmen Square and their condemnation of the event. China had to look for new partners with whom they could form an alliance that would counterbalance the west. Also due to their rapid economic growth in the last decade, China will face a higher demand for natural resources. All these factors were the catalyst of China’s increased involvement in Africa. For African countries, China offers the advantage of being a partner that will not impose conditionalities or interfere in their domestic affairs. It offers an alternative to the traditional western form of aid that typically requires you to make certain changes and reforms. This combined with the fact that the US has historically not put Africa on the top of its priorities list in foreign relations has allowed China to establish itself as a partner for African countries via numerous long-term investments and contracts. But will this new order significantly change the position of African states in the international system? I argue that so far it has not and I do not expect it to do so in the short-term.

One of the reasons that Africa will not meaningfully change its position in the international system is that Africa will have to first go through significant economic growth and development to be a significant player on the international scene. Theoretically, Africa as a whole can be a significant player on the international scene, but in practice when dealing with foreign countries there is no such thing as Africa’s foreign policy. African countries are dealt with on an individual basis. Africa possesses only a few states that have economies so strong that they are actually significant in the international system. Furthermore, these countries like Nigeria or South Africa do not pursue foreign policies that are coordinated. The other smaller countries also act unilaterally and Africa rarely has a unified foreign policy stance. This is despite the existence of such institutions like the AU. This underscores Africa’s need for integration, which would unify the countries and spur them to act in unison. This will also strengthen their economies and give them more importance on the international economic scene. So regardless of who its partner is, Africa will have to increase its economic significance via stronger and more viable integration efforts.

Another reason why I believe Africa’s position will not change is because of lack of competent leadership at the head of African States. To negotiate the new geo-political world order, African states need to be headed by pragmatic leaders who approach foreign policy in a systematic fashion. So far in most cases, foreign policy in African states is personalized and catered to the idiosyncrasies of the specific leaders. In most cases, these leaders are not foreign policy experts and would benefit a great deal from counsel from experts on these matters. Most African countries possess seasoned diplomats with foreign policy expertise and knowledge but too often these individual’s opinions are not sought after. Instead they are replaced by a coterie of presidential ‘advisors’ and that’s even when the president is indulgent enough to actually listen to his advisors. For Africa to drastically change its stature on the international scene, African states will need to be lead by competent leaders who are either adept geo-politically or are willing to take advice from people with that kind of expertise.

African states for the most part still need to make strides in terms of democracy to increase their stature on the world stage. It is true that democracy is not a pre-condition for Chinese investment in Africa but for the rest of the world it still plays a significant role in terms of credibility. If you’re viewed as having imposed yourself on your own people, will foreign countries even take you seriously? I don’t think it is sustainable for African countries to simply rely on China as their partner while turning their backs on everybody else. If not for the simple fact that the world is becoming more globalized and nations are increasingly becoming interdependent on each other. To use a more practical example, Mugabe can turn to China all he wants but China cannot lift the sanctions that are currently imposed on Zimbabwe by the other countries. And China’s involvement cannot compensate for all the lost investment opportunities these sanctions are causing. If your country is perceived as not making any strides towards increased democracy and you’ve now become a pariah on the international stage, China can only do so much for you.

The most important reason I think that China’s emergence on the African scene will not drastically change Africa’s position is simply because African states for the most part have not been adept at managing their vital natural resources. African countries have always been a destination for other countries that needed their natural resources for development purposes. But too often the money that comes in from these natural resources benefits a select few elites in the country while the majority of the population still remains in poverty. So if China is paying you for your resources instead of the typical countries and the majority of your country still remains in poverty, what has changed? African states will have to follow the example of Botswana which has pragmatically managed its diamond resources before there can be any talk of a change of their position on the international scene.

Finally a word has to be said about the US reaction to China’s increased involvement in Africa. Some people foresee that the US will counter China by modifying its stance on Africa. The US has historically taken the back seat from African involvement especially after the end of the Cold War. They have left Africa to the former colonizers. Some point to Africa’s minimal economic impact on the world stage and to the fact that Africa has no serious lobby in Congress as reasons for the US lack of focus. They also look at the fact the current US president is of African ancestry and hope for an increased focus on Africa by the US. So far they have been disappointed. The Obama administration has not made any significant changes from the Bush administration’s policy on Africa. Furthermore the US has shown that Africa is not on the top of its foreign policy agenda. Maybe in due time this will change, but one has to see the new policy before one can even assess its impact on Africa.