AFRICA in CHINA’S FOREIGN POLICY YUN SUN April 2014 Yun Sun is a fellow at the East Asia Program of the Henry L. Stimson Center. NOTE: This paper was produced during the author’s visiting fellowship with the John L. Thornton China Center and the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings. ABOUT THE JOHN L. THORNTON CHINA CENTER: The John L. Thornton China Center provides cutting-edge research, analysis, dialogue and publications that focus on China’s emergence and the implications of this for the United States, China’s neighbors and the rest of the world. Scholars at the China Center address a wide range of critical issues related to China’s modernization, including China’s foreign, economic and trade policies and its domestic challenges. In 2006 the Brookings Institution also launched the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy, a partnership between Brookings and China’s Tsinghua University in Beijing that seeks to produce high quality and high impact policy research in areas of fundamental importance for China’s development and for U.S.-China relations. ABOUT THE AFRICA GROWTH INITIATIVE: The Africa Growth Initiative brings together African scholars to provide policymakers with high-quality research, expertise and innovative solutions that promote Africa’s economic development. The initiative also collaborates with research partners in the region to raise the African voice in global policy debates on Africa. Its mission is to deliver research from an African perspective that informs sound policy, creating sustained economic growth and development for the people of Africa. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who saw me through this paper; to all those who generously provided their insights, advice and comments throughout the research and writing process; and to those who assisted me in the research trips and in the editing, proofreading and design of this paper. I would like to thank Erica Downs and Mwangi Kimenyi. Without your guidance, this research project would not have been possible. Kevin Foley and Andrew Westbury, you are the best guardians and program managers any researcher could ever ask for. Mao-Lin Shen and Christina Golubski, thank you for your rich input, editing and encouragement along the way. Above all, I thank the John L. Thornton China Center, the Africa Growth Initiative and the President’s Office of the Brookings Institution, whose generous sup- port made this project such a wonderful learning experience. Africa in China’s Foreign Policy John L. Thornton China Center and Africa Growth Initiative ii CONTENTS INTRODUCTION..................................................................... 1 CHINA’S INTERESTS IN AFRICA ......................................................... 3 Political interests............................................................ 3 Economic interests ........................................................... 5 Security interests ............................................................ 9 Ideological interests ........................................................ 11 AFRICA IN CHINA’S FOREIGN POLICY .................................................... 13 THE MAKING OF CHINA’S AFRICA POLICY ................................................ 17 China’s foreign policymaking .................................................. 17 Where Africa fits in policymaking . 19 Political relations with Africa ............................................... 20 Economic relations with Africa ............................................... 21 China’s security policy in Africa ............................................... 23 CHALLENGES IN CHINA’S AFRICA POLICY ................................................. 26 Narrow economic pursuits and the absence of a grand strategy .................... 26 Internal bureaucratic conflicts ............................................... 27 Proliferation of business actors ............................................... 28 Government deficiencies in managing economic ties .............................. 29 LOOKING AHEAD .................................................................. 30 ENDNOTES ....................................................................... 31 REFERENCES ...................................................................... 39 Africa in China’s Foreign Policy John L. Thornton China Center and Africa Growth Initiative iii Introduction uring the past decade, China’s rapidly agenda is yet to be thoroughly explored. As China growing presence in Africa has increas- becomes a global economic and political power, a ingly become a topic for debate in the simplistic perception of Africa as China’s suppli- Dinternational media and among economists and er of raw materials inevitably neglects other key policy analysts. While China’s unique economic aspects of Africa within China’s global strategy. approach to Africa meets the African countries’ Furthermore, even as China’s goals and policies need for funding and infrastructure projects, the have become more diversified, little effort has been model has been widely criticized. In particular, spent examining China’s internal bureaucratic pro- China’s natural resource-backed loans raise ques- cesses by which political, economic and security tions about the continent’s future and its capacity decisions are made regarding its Africa policy. This for sustainable development. paper seeks to examine these largely unexamined basic, internal elements of China’s Africa policy. Studies of China’s Africa strategy (or lack there- of) have been overwhelmingly focused on China’s China seeks to satisfy four broad national inter- economic interests in Africa, the role played by ests in its relations with the continent. Political- Chinese government and companies, and the eco- ly, China seeks Africa’s support for China’s “One nomic and social impacts of such activities on the China” policy and for its foreign policy agendas in ground. With a few exceptions, there is a strong multilateral forums such as the United Nations. tendency to assert moral judgments in the assess- Economically, Africa is seen primarily as a source ment: China’s activities in Africa are often charac- of natural resources and market opportunities to terized as “evil” when they are seen as representing fuel China’s domestic growth. From a security China’s selfish quest for natural resources and dam- standpoint, the rising presence of Chinese com- aging Africa’s fragile efforts to improve governance mercial interests in Africa has led to growing secu- and build a sustainable future. However, they are rity challenges for China, as the safety of Chinese characterized as “virtuous” when they are seen as investments and personnel come under threats contributing to a foundation for long-term eco- due to political instability and criminal activities nomic development through infrastructure proj- on the ground. Last but not least, China also sees ects and revenue creation. an underlying ideological interest in Africa, as the success of the “China model” in non-democratic While economic issues are important to the strate- African countries offers indirect support for Chi- gic positioning of Africa in China’s overall foreign na’s own political ideology and offers evidence that policy, Africa’s broader role in China’s international Western democratic ideals are not universal. Africa in China’s Foreign Policy John L. Thornton China Center and Africa Growth Initiative 1 The popular focus on China’s vast economic en- Chinese military plays a significant role in coor- deavors in Africa (especially in the extractive in- dination with MFA and MOFCOM. On issues dustries) seems to suggest that Africa is somehow under the mandate of specific government agen- “critical” for China. In reality, Africa accounts cies, such as Chinese medical, agricultural or tech- for only a tiny percentage of China’s overall for- nical assistance to Africa, the policy is coordinated eign economic activities: China’s investment in among MFA, MOFCOM and the agency directly and trade with Africa represents 3 percent and 5 involved. percent of its global investment and trade, respec- tively. Politically, the continent is of small impor- China’s Africa strategy is not free of problems or tance to China’s foreign policy agenda, with Africa controversies. The most vocal criticism inside the playing a largely supportive role in China’s overall Chinese policy community is that China funda- international strategy. Rather than being seen as mentally lacks an Africa strategy and commercial “key” or a “priority,” Africa is seen to be part of the interests have overtaken (and even undercut) other “foundation” on which China’s broader strategic national interests. There is a constant tension be- ambitions are built.i Compared with the “struggle” tween the narrow, mercantilist pursuit of econom- with big powers or China’s strenuous relationship ic interests in Africa and that pursuit’s impact on with its neighbors, Sino-African relations have the overall health of the Sino-African relationship been relatively smooth and free of major distur- and China’s international image. Bureaucratically, bances, thanks to a shared sense of historical vic- this partly contributes to the abrasive competition timization by Western colonial powers and a com- between MFA and MOFCOM for the leading role mon identity/affinity as developing countries. The in China’s policy toward Africa. This conflict is nature of Sino-African ties is largely transactional most evident on the