China and Africa. New development partnership or neo-colonialism?

Research Paper from the year 2014 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Development Politics, Mohammed V University at Agdal (Institut des Etudes Africaines (IEA) - Rabat), course: Governance & Development, language: English, abstract: In the wake of its emergence unto the international scene, the Chinese State (development-centered and seemingly strategic) has, in recent times, increasingly resorted to building ties with major countries on the African continent, hence, the increment in its visits to the latter. Politically, but in recent times, economically motivated, the underlying factors behind these visits are in contrast to the nature of the ties once shared. Indeed, in times past, especially from the 80's onwards, China-Africa relations have moved from political interests to now center on commercial and financial ones. But, what really explains the growing interest of China in Africa? This is the core issue this article seeks to tackle. In response, this paper has been divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the main reasons behind China's foray into Africa while the second focuses on the impact of the Chinese presence on the continent's development efforts.