Public and Elite Views on Europe vs. China in Africa

Abstract

Europe has been the privileged economic and political partner of Africa, but more recently China has increased its foothold in Africa through important financial investments and trade agreements. Against this backdrop, our empirical research conducted in [2007][2008] in Kenya and South Africa as part of a pioneering international project investigates the perceptions of public opinion, political leaders, civil society activists and media operators. While confirming their continent's traditional proximity to Europe, African citizens are increasingly interested in China and its impact on Africa's development. While African civil society leaders and media operators describe China as an opportunity for Africa to break free from its historical dependence on European markets, other opinion leaders warn against too much enthusiasm with the Asian giant. On the one hand, Europe is increasingly criticized for not having been able to dismiss the traditionally 'patronizing' attitude towards Africa. On the other hand, China is expected to bring a breath of fresh air into the African context, although there is still suspicion that the Chinese strategy might, in the long run, turn into a new form of economic patronage.

Explaining External Perceptions: The EU and China in African Public Opinion

“…It is, therefore, remarkable that systematic inquiry into African perspectives on these different approaches has been absent. African evaluations have mostly been discussed in an anecdotal fashion (for two empirical works see Fioramonti and Kimunguyi, ; Hanusch, ), leading to widely diverging conclusions. On the one hand, media sources often state that only African elites favour China over traditional donors, as China's lack of conditionality allows them more leeway (Sautman and Yan, ); in contrast, it has also been asserted that ‘one can see why the gradualist reform and experimental pragmatism modelled by the Chinese are attractive to African people – not just corrupt leaders and elites’ (Mawdsley, , p. 521).…”

“…A downside of such elite‐centred approaches is that the resulting analyses risk insufficiently going beyond standard accounts of the relationship and its main bones of contention. Research focusing on the perceptions of broader sections of society has been limited to two countries: Kenya and South Africa (Fioramonti and Kimunguyi, ; Fioramonti and Olivier, ; Fioramonti and Poletti, ; Olivier and Fioramonti, ). South Africa is typically discussed in the context of the BRICS countries, reflecting the fact that it can hardly be considered a typical case.…”

Images of the EU beyond its Borders: Issue‐Specific and Regional Perceptions of European Union Power and Leadership

“…While most EU external perceptions studies concentrate on EU visions among the Union's strategic partners (among others, Shambaugh et al ., ; Tsuruoka, ; Lisbonne‐de Vergeron, ; Secrieru, ), our study explores EU perceptions in typically overlooked regions and countries, also encompassing the Union's strategic partners. It adds to an emerging pool of EU ‘elite’ perceptions studies in Southeast Asia (EuropeAid, ), Africa (Fioramonti and Kuminguyi, ) and the Pacific (Sheahan et al ., ). Comparative transnational studies remain an exception and studies of EU perceptions in issue‐specific areas are rare (the works on images of the EU as an environmental and trade actor by Elgström [] and Kilian and Elgström [] are an exception).…”

Explaining China’s popularity in the Middle East and Africa

“…Next, I turn to elite attitudes. While there are few elite surveys (except Sautman andYan 2009, Fioramonti andKimunguyi 2011), there is other evidence to confirm that political and business elites in the Middle East and Africa hold China in high esteem. Finally, I explore cross-country variation in mass opinion and elite attitudes.…”

“…In the 2000s, an elite survey in Kenya and South Africa found broad support for "no strings attached" investment from China among politicians, businesspeople, and opinion leaders (Fioramonti and Kimunguyi 2011). Around the same time, a team of scholars surveyed university students in nine African countries.…”