China's African Safari

"Since the 1960s, China has been rather consistent in offering assistance to African countries in agriculture, heavy industries, and infrastructure development. In recent years, Sino-African trade has enjoyed particularly rapid growth. As Paul Mooney reports, many African leaders, regarding China as a reliable friend who has suffered the similar imperialist aggression by Western powers, welcome investment and development teams from Beijing. Furthermore, the Chinese have not used their economic power to place political pressure on Africa - the only exception being Taiwan. Skepticism, however, does exist. Some African scholars argue that China is simply relaying the European colonial torch of purchasing raw materials from the continent and selling value-added products back, creating an unfavorable trade balance for Africa. Whether China uses its increasing world power responsibly on issues like the Sudanese peace process is a pressing question: Will Beijing be willing to sacrifice its African partnerships to salvage its international image? -YaleGlobal"