Chinese Expansion in Africa

At the November 2015 meeting of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, China’s “open door” and “going out” policy, first declared in the late 1970s, was reaffirmed. Since its introduction and implementation, the policy has had a significant impact for China and the world. Today, China has become the world’s second largest global economy, and China’s presence—politically, economically, and otherwise—is evident internationally. With increased capacity and global activities, China’s rapid rise has raised the question: What are China’s intentions?

China’s intentions have been heatedly discussed and examined regarding its expanding relationship with Africa. Why Africa? China’s interaction with the United States and the European Union, the global political and economic centers, with Russia, its massive neighbor to the north, and with South and Southeast Asia, its neighbors to the South, are self explanatory. The relationships are largely determined by geopolitical, economic, historical, and global power factors. But the development de novo of a close relationship between China and Africa in modern times is another story, for varied reasons and over an extended time period. Both parties, especially China, have invested copious time and physical resources to develop and sustain the new relationship.

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