China's diplomacy toward Africa: drivers and constraints

China’s Baby Steps in Africa: A Historical Reckoning of Chinese Relations with Mozambique and Sudan until 2011

“…It was forged heavily in the rhetoric of unity in the anti-colonial struggle and solidarity between developing nations, and institutionalised in the 1955 Bandung Conference, the Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Organisation and the NonAligned Movement (Mohan & Power, 2008). Throughout the next few decades, China provided support to several African independence struggles and assisted newly independent African nations by providing doctors, technical experts, and infrastructure (Jakobson, 2009). By the 1980s China's activity in Africa had shrunk dramatically (Yi-Chong, 2008) but, after China experienced international isolation following the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, Chinese diplomats increasingly sought contacts throughout the developing world (Jakobson, 2009).…”

“…Throughout the next few decades, China provided support to several African independence struggles and assisted newly independent African nations by providing doctors, technical experts, and infrastructure (Jakobson, 2009). By the 1980s China's activity in Africa had shrunk dramatically (Yi-Chong, 2008) but, after China experienced international isolation following the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, Chinese diplomats increasingly sought contacts throughout the developing world (Jakobson, 2009). African leaders responded positively to Chinese overtures, and their growing diplomatic relations were strengthened with the rising importance of energy resources to China's foreign policy in the 1990s (Mohan & Power, 2008).…”

“…China's drive to diversify its energy sources followed its transition to a net oil importer in 1993 (Human Rights Watch, 2003;Hong, 2011 (Sutter, 2012;BBC News Online, 2009), making China Asia's leading importer of African products and Africa's third largest trading partner after the United States and France (Broadman, 2007;Jakobson, 2009). …”

“…The importance of securing energy and food resources for China cannot be overstated, with sustained economic growth and resource security being central to the CCP regime's survival (Cornelius & Story, 2007). The deepening China-Africa relationship became incontrovertible following the official proclamation of 2006 as 'China's Year of Africa', with 48 African leaders hosted in Beijing at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and extensive touring of African capitals by members of the Chinese leadership (Jakobson, 2009;Pant, 2008).…”

“…Ian Bremmer (2010 notes that, in their attempts to attain Great Power status, " [a]uthoritarian governments everywhere have learned to compete internationally by embracing market-driven capitalism" (p. 4). Having now undergone two decades of unprecedented capitalist expansion, Africa's oil and natural resources have motivated China to deepen relations with the continent in its quest to import increasing quantities of raw materials and energy products (Jakobson, 2009); indeed, Africa soon became China's second largest supplier of oil after the Middle East (Alden & Alves, 2009). By the 1990s China's contact with Africa began to increase rapidly, with many observers noting that its attitude toward African states was often in contrast with the West's saviour narrative.…”