China-Africa cooperation: an assessment through the lens of China’s development experience

2016-12-18; 2017-06-18This paper investigated three ongoing challenges and a new trend in the fast‐growing China‐Africa cooperation: 1) the Chinese foreign policy principles of non‐interference and no‐strings attached to aid, 2) limited employment opportunities for Africans and poor workers’ rights in Chinese firms, 3) the lack of transparency of Chinese aid, and 4) the emerging China‐Africa cooperation in renewable energy. The paper examined the links between China’s development experience and its behavior in Africa to provide a new perspective for understanding China’s engagements with Africa. The major findings include: 1) China’s African policy is deeply rooted in its own history and development experience; 2) the cost‐effectiveness of Chinese workers, the cutthroat Chinese‐on‐Chinese competition, and the insufficient legal framework to protect workers’ rights in China and Africa, have together contributed to the limited jobs for Africans and poor workers’ rights in Chinese firms, 3) both China’s political culture and capacity barriers to manage its sizable aid to Africa are largely responsible for the lack of transparency in Chinese aid, and 4) China‐Africa renewable energy cooperation is driven by Africa’s growing interest and China’s strong investment capacity. The paper suggested that, to develop long‐term and win‐win cooperation, China should make a greater commitment to mediate conflict and facilitate peace in Africa, hire more Africans, and embrace a broad‐based collaboration to strengthen its capacity in aid management. To boost China‐Africa cooperation in wind and solar energy, both sides should work together to explore business opportunities that utilize China’s strength and are suited to the African context