Pan-African Perspectives on International Relations—Africa and China

Abstract

For more than one thousand years, Africa–China relations have evolved from exploratory, diplomatic, trading encounters, to complex, dynamic interactions that have benefitted both Africans and Chinese. However, as pressures to protect and sustain respective national interests intensify, so do the methods that influence and expand these interests. What has generally been understood as mutually beneficial interactions between Africans and Chinese over the centuries is turning out to be lob-sided, in favor of States with better capacity to protect their own interests. As African States move further into this new century, it becomes clear that their capacity to interact with China on a mutually beneficially level is slowly disappearing, along with their capacity to clearly define and protect their national identities, national sovereignties, and national economic integrity. By highlighting and analysing the factors that contribute to this decline in the value-outcome of these relations, this paper argues that there is need for a change of approach regarding how Africans understand and apply directives regarding their international relations, and their national identities as Africans.