ChinaandAfrica:AreportfromAdvisoryBoardMemberProf.XuewuGu

Introduction

As Michelle D. Gavin, former U.S. Ambassador to Botswana pointed out, all major powers are facing the same facts: “by 2050, a quarter of the world’s population will be African and the continent’s youthful and growing labor force — the largest in the world by that point — will stand in stark contrast to the ageing populations of other regions”. From the vantage point of global diplomacy, Africa´s unique advantage is its large number of states which constitute “a voting block of 28% at the United Nations (UN)”. In terms of geopolitics, the continent presents itself as an indispensable maritime gateway from Asia to Europe and back. Geo economically, with a population of 1.3 billion and a land area of 30.37 million km2, bestowed with considerable resources, Africa remains an uncharted territory with huge potential to reach the centrality of global economy in the coming decades. In contrast to the United States which has deployed more than 6000 troops “on the ground in Africa”, China has chosen an economic path to engage with the continent even though Africa-China security cooperation is intensifying. In fact, there is a long tradition of Chinese investments in infrastructure, reaching back to the period of decolonization. A famous example is the construction of a train line between Tanzania and Zambia (completed in 1976), where China sent around 56,000 engineers and workers to build 320 bridges, 22 tunnels and 93 stations.