Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 3-22-2017 China's Interest in Africa: Conflict or Stability? Tristan X. di Montenegro Florida International University, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FIDC001790 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the African Studies Commons, and the Other International and Area Studies Commons Recommended Citation di Montenegro, Tristan X., "China's Interest in Africa: Conflict or Stability?" (2017). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3184. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3184 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida CHINA’S INTEREST IN AFRICA: CONFLICT OR STABILITY? A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS by Tristan di Montenegro 2017 To: Dean John F. Stack, Jr. Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs This dissertation, written by Tristan di Montenegro, and entitled China’s Interest in Africa: Conflict or Stability? having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. ________________________________ John F. Clark ________________________________ Ralph S. Clem ________________________________ Harry D. Gould ________________________________ Jean M. Rahier ________________________________ Thomas A. Breslin, Major Professor Date of Defense: March 23, 2017 The dissertation of Tristan di Montenegro is approved. ________________________________ Dean John F. Stack, Jr. Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs ________________________________ Andrés Gil Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the University Graduate School Florida International University, 2017 ii © Copyright 2017 by Tristan di Montenegro All rights reserved. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Doctor Thomas Breslin for his indefatigable support, input and editing during the long and arduous dissertation process. I am blessed to have had such a thorough and patient dissertation team leader. Secondly, I would like to thank Dr. Ralph S. Clem for a decade of advice, input and support, which has spanned two Master’s degrees and a Doctorate. One could not have asked for a better friend, mentor, and role model - and for this I am truly grateful. Doctor John Clark, Doctor Harry Gould and Doctor Jean Rahier provided valuable input during the proposal process, and expressed in no uncertain terms what was expected of me and what they felt was important to include within the analysis. While we did not have much interaction during the writing phase of the dissertation, their expectations were the guideposts for each aspect of this work. I would like to thank Dr. Charles MacDonald for his guidance during my Baccalaureate degree. At his suggestion, I began to do security analyses of different geopolitical theaters - and that interest and focus evolved to be the foundation for all of my graduate research. Dr. James Kilpatrick contributed to my education during my Master’s Degree in Asian Studies, and Dr. Rebecca Mae Salokar dispensed doses of brusque insight, whenever needed. Thank you both. I would also like to offer my appreciation to both Ambassador David Shinn and Dr. Evan Ellis - for taking the time to speak with me and for the kind words of iv encouragement. I used the analytical styles of both these academics as a framework in this dissertation. I feel that it is important to note Dr. Shlomi Dinar, who despite his workload, attended to my dissertation within a matter of days. His suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated. I am especially grateful to Ms. Brandie D. Thomas of the University Graduate School for addressing all of my questions and concerns regarding formatting and other intricacies which no one else was able to address. She is indispensable. Thank you Brandie. I appreciate the assistance of the office staff who, for more than a decade, have been as supportive as the professors: Mrs. Kathleen Hasselbach, Michelle, Maria Wilkinson-Diaz, Martha Rodriguez, Maria Elena Gil and Ms. Mayte Rodriguez. Over the years I have been helped by some really great people working at the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of the Comptrollers. A special thanks goes out to Francisco Valines, Ida Pabon, and my friend Izhar Haq. Whether I was doing research abroad or here in the United States, the support of these people was essential for the completion of my degree. Thank you. v ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION CHINA’S INTEREST IN AFRICA: CONFLICT OR STABILITY? by Tristan di Montenegro Florida International University, 2017 Miami, Florida Professor Thomas A. Breslin, Major Professor China’s increase in economic and military force projection capability has grown substantially since the beginning of the twenty-first century. This rapid evolution, has in turn, triggered a rush for resources in Least Developed Countries, opened up new markets for Chinese-manufactured products, and has frequently been accompanied by an increased Chinese military presence in those nations in which it maintains an economic or industrial presence. China’s activites in Least Developed Countries, such as those in Africa, have had a direct impact on cultures, regional politics, economies, infrastructure creation, and the environment, yet the complexity of these dynamics has to date precluded an in-depth analysis of their effect on conflict and stability. In order to effectively guage China’s influence on the continent, localized studies of Chinese operations and activities in different locales were scrutinized. China’s Interest in Africa: Conflict or Stability? examines Chinese infrastructure and financing packages, Chinese-owned extractive and non- extractive industries, Chinese military and defense industrial enterprises, and finally, Chinese miltary activities on the continent. In order to provide for a vi balanced analysis, this work utilizes case studies from diverse locales, which include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Angola. While some argue that Chinese loans, infrastructure creation, and resource extraction operations contribute to development in Africa, there are ramifications, which have eluded the most erudite of academics. This analysis demonstrates that China’s primary concern in Africa is based on securing the food, fuel and resources necessary to sustain its economic growth, often, subtly to the detriment of the African host-countries, which it claims to assist through financing and development. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 - Chinese Infrastructure Financing and Development ........................ 18 The “Angola-mode” ............................................................................................. 19 Infrastructure Financing and Development in Angola ........................................ 25 Negative Aspects of Chinese Infrastructure Projects in Angola .......................... 31 Summary of Infrastructure Financing and Development in Angola ..................... 36 Infrastructure Financing and Development in Ethiopia ....................................... 39 Transportation Infrastructure Projects in Ethiopia ............................................... 42 Negative Aspects of Chinese Transportation Infrastructure Projects .................. 45 Hydroelectric Projects ......................................................................................... 49 Negative Aspects of Hydroelectric Projects in Ethiopia ...................................... 51 Telecommunications Projects ............................................................................. 56 Summary of Infrastructure Financing and Development in Ethiopia ................... 62 Infrastructure Financing and Development: Sudan and South Sudan ................ 67 Infrastructure Financing and Development in Sudan .......................................... 68 Infrastructure Financing and Development in South Sudan ............................... 70 Summary of Infrastructure Financing and Development in Sudan and South Sudan ................................................................................................ 73 Chapter 1 Summary ........................................................................................... 75 Negative Aspects of Infrastructure Development ............................................... 76 Negative Aspects of “Angola-mode” Financing................................................... 81 Chapter 2 - Extractive and Non-Extractive Industries: National Oil Companies and State-owned Enterprises .......................................................... 90 Extractive and Non-Extractive Industries: Petroleum, Mining and Timber .......... 90 National Oil Companies ...................................................................................... 95 Chinese NOC Activity in Sudan and South Sudan ............................................