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China-Africa Forum brings 48 African heads of state to the PRC: China pushes for increased trade, aid, investment and diplomatic ties to Africa

November 4, 2006

China in conjunction with 48 leaders from Africa will convene to discuss development, trade and investment on the continent.

Just days after the strategic consensus on the root causes of Africa poverty and underdevelopment build at the First International Conference on the State of Affairs of Africa (ICSAA) and the priorities set on how to efficiently resolve the Africa development crisis, the IIJD welcomes the initiatives of China with respect to African economic development, trade and investment.

China’s aim by bringing together these leaders for the China-Africa Forum is to demonstrate the People’s Republic of China's intention to cultivate strong economic and political ties with the continent. While the IIJD welcomes the initiatives of China, our pronouncement of support is not unconditional given the potential for retreat pursuant to human rights and governance issues on the continent.

China’s strategic interests in Africa are securing natural resources, finding new markets for Chinese manufactured goods and developing diplomatic allies. China will give these concerns higher priority over African infrastructure development, political and institutional reforms most needed in Africa because China economic objectives are principle to its foreign grand strategy. It's our hope that China’s economic and diplomatic policies would not conflict with the efforts of local and international organizations that promote positive and sustainable reforms in Africa.

The concern of ordinary Africans are due to China’s own reluctance concerning its human rights abuses. Today, Africans support conditional restrictions on Development Aid going to Africa. Conditional restrictions on foreign aid given to African states will prevent Aid or big Loans be given to states that are plagued by corruption, are non-democratic and violate human rights. Additionally, China’s previously close ties to the government of Sudan underscore a poor track record when it comes to supporting duplicitous governments with respect to human rights. The positive effect seen from China’s investment and aid in Africa should not only be confined to solely promoting trade and building physical infrastructure, however great their reach may be. Even more worrisome, the new aid from China may provide a disincentive for African states to make further reforms in areas of human rights and democratic governance.

At the IIJD, we believe that the key to African development is derived from a combination of infrastructure building and institutional reform with a special emphasis on judicial independence and accountability. Without strong institutions in Africa, debt relief, aid and investment will be mired in a swamp of corruption, expropriation and inefficiency. The IIJD holds the cautious view that increased Chinese involvement could indeed lead to problematic long-term consequences if the root causes of poverty in Africa are not addressed simultaneously. Only with transparent democratic, judicial and economic institutions can true progress be made in the Continent.