China's ventures in Africa

Abstract

Relations between the People's Republic of China and Africa have a long story and have seen several changes over the course of time. The current relationship between China and Africa is new and dynamic in the sense that it is transforming itself all the time. Initially, there were rumours that China was only interest in Africa for the sake of energy security. In this paper we argue that, in fact, the relationship has been transformed into a longer-term, deeper economic engagement. Africa has also seen the beginning of a security partnership with for example Chinese troops in Darfur. However, at present it is impossible to know what the long-term impact of China's new engagement with Africa will be. Only time will tell whether Chinas is indeed a better partner for Africa than the West and if Western concerns are justified.