China's partnership with Africa is not only an economic alliance, but a political one as well, said an academic at a lecture on Tuesday at Unisa."China needs Africa in numerous ways to continuously grow and to further its international ambitions and Africa can help it in this regard. Africa also needs China for its growth and development efforts and China can and is willing to help Africa in this regard," said Professor David Abdulai.
He added that this partnership was "a symbiotic relationship as opposed to the exploitative one expressed by China's critics".
Abdulai said Africa's partnership with China was not new and could be traced as far back as 1971, when newly liberated African states provided the vote in the United Nations general assembly that recognised the People's Republic of China as the legitimate occupant of the country's seat on the UN security council.
Previously the seat had been held by the Republic of China, better known today as Taiwan.
China needs support from African nations because of the influence they wield in the form of votes in international fora. "By supporting these countries and increasing the power in these indirectly is helping China when it seeks votes and support of these countries at numerous international fora to support its diplomatic interest."
Abdulai said that African nations were needed for their support of China's one-China policy. This had been a cause of recent controversy because of South Africa's refusal to provide a visa to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
Abdulai's lecture, which was written before the recent controversy, said China needed African countries to recognise itself as part of a strategy to "thwart and frustrate Taiwan's effort to build relationships with African countries".
Source : Sapa /ts/clh/ks
Date : 31 Mar 2009 18:52
