Just after the revolution in 1949, China became interested in Africa and began exporting its pro-Third World ideology to both newly independent countries and those still under colonial domination. China supported Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco at the Bandung Conference in 1955, and established diplomatic relations with Egypt on 30 May 1956. During the 1960s, an era marked by Sino-Soviet rivalry, Beijing gave its support to separatist movements. Following several decades of this ideological war, economic war has now taken over. China is Africa’s third largest trading partner after the United States and France, and Sino-African trade reached $50 billion in 2006.
China-Africa: a strategy of fair exchange?
The new cooperation between China and Africa came to fruition at an initial forum in October 2000, attended by nearly 80 foreign ministers from 45 African countries. The second forum was held in November 2003 in Ethiopia, where the Addis Ababa Action Plan was adopted. The Plan outlined the major themes of this cooperation in the political, economic, commercial and social fields.
In 2006, Chinese leaders made more frequent trips to Africa, including the Foreign Minister, who went there in January for the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of Sino-African relations.(1) In June, Prime Minster Wen Jiabao made a seven-day round trip,(2) following that of the President two months earlier.(3) In just six months, the three most important Chinese political figures visited a total of 15 countries.
Additionally, a document was published on 12 January 2006 concerning Chinese policy regarding Africa in which the aims of cooperation were outlined in the fields of politics, economics, defence and culture. This diplomatic offensive demonstrates once again the importance of Africa for China(4) but in 2006, the year promoted in China as ‘The year of China in Africa’, the high point was the first China-Africa summit.
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