Blog di discussione su problemi di relazioni e politica internazionale; un osservatorio per capire la direzione del mondo. Blog for discussion on problems of relations and international politics; an observatory to understand the direction of the world.
Politica Internazionale
Cerca nel blog
martedì 4 settembre 2018
Chinese ambitions in Africa
Chinese policy towards Africa has had a long and patient journey, which has lasted for over ten years; in
this period the diplomacy of Beijing has made a constant approach in
the various African countries making almost eighty visits by the highest
Chinese officers in at least forty-three countries of the black
continent, as well as several diplomatic missions, which have the
purpose of promoting penetration Chinese in African nations. For Beijing, Africa is considered strategic both in the short term and in the long term. The
Chinese reasoning has, therefore, a double value both political and
economic, but that moves from a vision of development that is convenient
for the African countries, but, first of all for China itself. If
we think about the short term, the availability of raw materials,
combined with a very low labor cost, represent a reason of fundamental
and functional interest in the growth of the Chinese economy, which is
always the main reason that moves Beijing's interests; however,
short-term reasoning must also include the outlet of Chinese goods in
rapidly growing economies that require large foreign capital to be
allocated to their own development. The
data that best illustrates this trend is that of the volume of economic
exchanges between China and Africa: at the beginning of the 2000 it
stood at 10 billion dollars, while in 2017 it reached 170 billion
dollars. But
China believes that this figure may increase again, in fact in the
long-term vision of Beijing there is the assessment of the increase in
the African population, which from the current billion, should go to
double by 2050 and even reach 3 billion by the end of the century. This
is a forecast that would allow the African continent to have more
inhabitants than those of China and India added up: a potentially huge
market, if supported by adequate economic growth. In
order to support these objectives, China has decided to increase its
investments in Africa, thanks to a great availability of financial
liquidity, which is the real instrument of penetration on the continent.
President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Africa resulted in a 60,000-million credit line to finance growth; previously a similar sum had been invested in favor of the African continent. However,
only a part of these funds are without interest and this is considered a
sort of danger for the sovereignty of the African countries, because
China would have a position of advantage on the governments precisely
because of the debt that these loans cause. The
question poses geopolitical aspects that are anything but irrelevant:
it is clear that Beijing is putting a serious mortgage on African
countries and on the influence it can exert on them, both in absolute
terms and in terms related to contingent matters, may arise in the future. It
is no coincidence that the positive perception of China has dropped
significantly in very important countries of the continent, such as
Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania. The
Chinese maneuvers, however, are likely to significantly decrease the
Western influence in Africa: it must be recognized that Beijing has
operated wisely but not in a hidden way, certainly the great financial
resources have favored the Chinese plans, but the response of the US and
Europe has been too much less than what is offered by China; it
is a political myopia that could have heavy repercussions in the long
run because the garrison of Africa could, in the future, be decisive
both in terms of economic power and of international political power; not
for nothing Beijing is already operating a military base in Djibouti,
which seems to represent the first point of support for the Chinese
armed forces on the continent, which could be followed by other military
installations. The
dangerousness of this evolution must be framed in a context in which
the Chinese country has diplomatic, economic and commercial relations
with not only democratic governments, but also in countries where
dictatorships govern it and there is respect for civil rights. On
the other hand, even in China itself, rights are assured and this must
be an alarm for a country that increasingly invests worldwide to become
central and gain political significance not yet reached. Altering
the African position in the world geopolitical framework can be a
fundamental element to subvert the current delicate balances, but that
represents a clear mortgage on the future not only of the African
continent, but also on that of the global scenario.
Iscriviti a:
Commenti sul post (Atom)
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento