The New Face of Humanitarian Aid and Intervention: China and Its Growing Role in the Realm of African Development Mark WILD* Abstract In November of 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines causing Despite being seen by western nations as an massive amounts of damage in terms adversarial, confrontational and undemocratic of both property and lives. Winds were nation, the People’s Republic of China has been able to forge a large number of beneficial recorded at 195 mph and waves as high and lasting relationships with many nations, as 5 meters crashed onto shore.1 In particular those on the African continent. To do response, the U.S.S. George Washington so, China has sought not to distance itself from its and the H.M.S. Illustrious, aircraft international detractors by trying to remake their public image as being democratic but rather by carriers of two of the five permanent using their knowledge and wealth accrued from U.N. Security Council members, the rapid industrialization and a massive growing United States and the United Kingdom, economy seeking new markets to create new were deployed to the Philippines with and mutually advantageous relationships. To manage such a rapport, China has taken the cargo holds full of supplies designated traditional western practice of humanitarian aid for humanitarian disaster relief.2 In and molded it to fit the Chinese government’s addition to this force, regional support way of operating; Operating not under the guise of solving human rights issues or exchanges of was promised from Japan, in the form goods for pro-democratic reforms but rather by of a large naval force and over US$ 30 offering credit, infrastructure, knowledge and million. Yet the world’s second largest time in exchange for oil, mining rights or new economy at the time and neighboring and emerging markets. China’s reinvention of the distribution of aid serves as a notice to all country, the People’s Republic of China, states, that traditional western aid might just not had initially only offered US$ 100,000.3 be as beneficial or in demand as it once was. A recent news report released by UNICEF shows that even after China increased Key Words its aid package to US$ 1.6 million,4 the Swedish furniture maker IKEA, was still Aid, Africa, China, development, diplomacy, donating a larger monetary donation to humanitarian diplomacy. the Philippines relief effort.5 Why then * Graduate student, Fordham University, New is the Chinese aid package so small in York, USA. comparison to the tens of millions of E-mail: [email protected] dollars donated by other countries, 93 PERCEPTIONS, Spring 2015, Volume XX, Number 1, pp. 93-108. Mark Wild especially those countries that have a Philippines and the ensuing criticism, similar geo-political stake in the region which eventually lead to an increase, like the United States and Japan? The came forth by an international pressure real answer may never be known but to do so, not as a result of China’s this paper will attempt to shed some willingness. When China does engage in light on not only the reason for which the act of humanitarian aid, it is not out the P.R.C. donated such a small amount of pressure but rather out of a willingness but also and more significantly on how to engage in a mutualistic agreement with the P.R.C. determines when and where the other nations; unlike the paternalistic to use humanitarian assistance. agreement so often associated with the western humanitarianism model. They China’s reinvention of the engage not in aid giving but rather in distribution of aid serves as Humanitarian Diplomacy. a notice to all states, that Mary Douglas, in the forward to Marcel traditional western aid might Mauss’ The Gift writes, “There should not just not be as beneficial or in be any free gifts. What is wrong with the demand as it once was. so-called free gift is the donor’s intention to be exempt from return gifts coming from the recipient. Refusing requital The friction between China and other puts the act of giving outside any mutual nations in eastern Asia is well known; ties…. For all the ongoing commitment over the past few years, territorial the free-gift gesture has created it might disputes over strings of islands have as well never have happened…A gift that erupted between not only China and the does nothing to enhance solidarity is a Philippines but also between the Chinese contradiction”.8 The act of humanitarian and Japanese. Clashes over the ownership aid giving, in the traditional non-Mary of the Nansha/Spratly archipelago in Douglas sense, is a selfless act by both the South China Sea6 and the Diaoyu/ individuals and NGOs. It is not often Senkaku islands (Chinese/Anglicized that a quid pro quo arrangement appears spelling) in the East China Sea are just in interactions between an NGO and two examples among the recent tensions those populations they are trying to help. between China and its neighbors.7 While the type of aid being delivered can China has always been fiercely defensive be controlled by both the NGO and of its territorial claims, yet this attitude the recipients, little is often specifically is not necessarily the reason why China mandated to be returned as a form gave what was considered a small aid of payment or thanks. However, the package. The perceived lack of aid to the smaller scale of individual donors and 94 The New Face of Humanitarian Aid and Intervention organizations greatly differs from that of of Africa as a continent full of failing the macro level, the level at which states states needing social reform. China, on can act as both as donors or as recipients. the other hand, is outperforming the It is important to note before going success of western nations when it comes forward that there is a vital distinction to aid, gaining both political allies as well between states and governments. The as economic partners due to its ability government of a country is a moral body to understand and deliver what Africa composed of people that have feelings needs most. China has begun the process and emotions, while the state is defined of transitioning the idea of ‘aid’ from the by a lack of moral conscious; it has no western norm of non-reciprocal charity feelings, and as such, states have the donations to the now increasingly more utmost desire to make humanitarian evident and more mutualistic process of aid into a more reciprocal agreement. reciprocal aid giving and thereby China Traditionally, states have only used aid has become a much larger player in the as leverage when addressing human realm of humanitarian diplomacy. China rights issues. However, a new form of the gave aid to the Philippines because it was reciprocal nature of humanitarian aid what was required of the second largest has been becoming more prominent and economy in the world, not as a way of utilized by non-traditional donor states gaining favor from the Philippines. Yet like China, who, in recent years has been old ways are fading. The new model on the forefront of economic growth will show that what dictates China’s and and stability. It is predicated to become increasingly other nations’ aid giving, is the world’s largest economy in the next the idea of what they, can gain- not from decade, a feat it has met according to giving the gift, but rather from engaging in humanitarian diplomacy, in other some sources, and its growing influence words, using aid to increase relations and in the developing world has been scaring ties between the countries. the traditional economic powerhouses.9 Parallel to the growth of China, has been the rise in the importance both politically A new form of the reciprocal and economically of Africa. After massive nature of humanitarian aid has colonization and then a period of rapid been becoming more prominent decolonization, Africa has just recently and utilized by non-traditional again begun to see a larger portion of donor states like China, who, the world’s attention, especially due in recent years has been on the to its abundance of untapped natural forefront of economic growth resources and industrial potential. and stability. Western nations traditionally view most 95 Mark Wild Traditionally the People’s Republic of (Responsibility to Protect), arguing China has held very strong convictions against humanitarian intervention and on state sovereignty. Jonathan Davis, in proposing the concept of “humanitarian his article “From ideology to Pragmatism assistance” as an alternative.14 While China’s Position on Humanitarian China eventually made concessions on Intervention in the Post-Cold War Era” the R2P doctrine, it still held considerable argues that China’s position is a result of power when dealing with the issue of the frequent infringements on China’s own humanitarian intervention and aid, th sovereignty during the first half of the 20 especially when Africa was involved. century. These included U.S. involvement in the Taiwan Straits and in Tibet, which eventually led to the principles China also uses the peacekeeping included in the Chinese constitution as missions as a logistical training a part of the “Five Principles of Peaceful tool for their army personnel, Coexistence”.10 However, as the author to acclimate them to working later explains, this policy was not set in in different environments in a stone; “… the PRC also began to develop non-simulated setting, and to a nascent policy on permissible foreign prepare them for future combat interventions including the position that target state consent was a sine qua non situations.