Africa and China's Strategic Partnership

Abstract China's phenomenal economic growth rate has seen the country rise to world leadership status, causing many analysts to ponder its regional and international intentions and goals. China's unique position in the community of nations means that it is able to straddle both the developed (as a member of the UN Security Council) and the developing worlds. Its linkage with the developing world dates back to the Bandung Conference of 1955, with China sharing developing nations' sense of humiliation, the urge to restore dignity and a determination to take control of its own destiny. Over the years China has changed its foreign policy from confrontation to co-operation, from revolution to economic development, and from isolation to international engagement. It has recently begun capitalising on its linkage with the developing world, witnessed in increased, though little noticed, Sino-Africa relations in the form of high-level official exchanges, trade and co-operation with African countries. It is argued that China sees Africa as a partner in the fulfillment of its strategic goals, namely: energy, trade and geopolitical interests.