‘China in Africa’: From Under-researched to Under-theorised?

Abstract

The literature on China–Africa relations is a rapidly developing field. However, whilst it is a much richer body of work now than it was a few years ago, it has been somewhat resistant to compelling theorisation. This claim is demonstrated via discussion of three recent contributions to this literature. The discussion develops a claim that a helpful problématique might be found by framing China–Africa relations as relations between ‘unequal equals’, a particular benefit of which is that it emphasises that China–Africa relations are, inter alia specifically international relations. Whilst rigorous theoretical work has already been done, the emphasis has been societal. In this sense, the unequal equals formulation amounts to a call for greater dialogue between social and internationally oriented disciplines to resolve the under-theorisation that afflicts the study of China–Africa relations.

Framing the economy of the East African Community: A decade of disparities and similarities found in Chinese and Western news media’s reporting on the East African Community

“…The differing perceptions of the EAC are constructed from multiple influencing factors in China and the West. Since the 1955 Bandung Conference, it is thought that Sino-African relations have hinged on China's role to promote 'third world nationalism and movements for equality', while simultaneously offering their support as a counterbalance to the former European colonizers and the hegemonic power of the United States (Alden, 2007: 16;A'Zami, 2015). While China's leverage in the political economy of Africa is understood by some as ideological aggression and a threat towards the West (Johnston, 2003), it should be noted that this is a complicated conjecture, one that is often simplified and projected in Western and Chinese mass media as a struggle for hegemonic power (Chen et al, 2015;Lake, 2006).…”