History of Sino-African Relations 10 th Century to 1979.
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Transcript of History of Sino-African Relations 10 th Century to 1979.
History of Sino-African Relations
10th Century to 1979
Jan. 2006 Hu Jintao visit to AfricaNov. 2006 Hu’s eight-point proposal supporting African development• Double 2006 assistance by 2009• $5 billion loans and credits next 3 years• $5 billion to support Chinese companies to invest in Africa• Construct conference center for AU• Cancel debts owed by indebted poor countries• zero tariff export items to China increase from 190 to over 440 from
least developed countries• Set up 3-5 Sino-African trade and economic zones• Send 100 Chinese experts and train 15,000 Africa professionals on areas
of agriculture, health, education, science and technology• Build 100 rural schools and 30 anti-Malaria centers, etc.
European and American Reactions
Jennifer Brea’s 2006 article, “China’s New Scramble for Africa”
BBC’s Adam Blenford’s 2007 seies “China in Africa: Friend or Foe?”
• China’s ravenous demand for raw material and markets
• Exploitation of African workers• Cheap Chinese imports devastated
African labor• Sustain its economic expansion by
turning Africa into a sphere of influence (similar to the Age of Imperialism)
• Interfere with other countries’ internal affairs
• Selling weapons to corrupt regimes• Offering an “alternative” model of
development
China’s Response
Use “soft power” and historical links to justify it presence in AfricaYes and NoYes: Chinese presence in Africa dates back more than 600 yearsYes: China is employing “soft power”No: there is no connect between Chinese presence in Africa centuries ago
and Chinese presence there todayDifferences then and now1. International circumstances2. Economies of medieval China and China today3. Motives and objectives
Earliest Chinese Knowledge of Africa
Standard view: Zheng He’s seven voyages, 1405-1433
Teobaldo Filesi, China and Africa in the Middle Ages
J. J. L. Duyvendak’s “China’s Discovery of Africa”
Chinese coins and porcelain from the later Tang and Song (9th-13th C.) found in Africa
Chu Ssu-pen’s early 14th century Mongol Atlas include a clear delineation of the African continent
Zheng He’s Seven Voyages 1405-1433
http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=10387
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0507/feature2/index.htmlNational Geographic, July 2005
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200504/the.admiral.zheng.he.htmSaudi Aramco World, July/August 2005 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sultan/explorers2.htmlNOVA Online: “Ancient Chinese Explorers” Youtube.
Seven Voyages of Zheng He (1371-1433) from 1405-1433
No debates that he made these voyages Navigator Number of Ships Number of
CrewZheng He (1405 - 1433) 48 to 317 28,000Columbus (1492) 3 90Da Gama (1498) 4 ca. 160Magellan (1521) 5 265
Historical nautical chart of Zheng He
Comparing Columbus’s Santa Maria to the largest of Zheng He’s ships
Pillar-shaped tomb at Mambrui near Malindi, Kenya. Blue and white Chinese dishes are still embedded in the side.
Gift brought back to the emperor from one of Zheng He’s voyages 1415
Why?
I. “Conspiracy theory”:Yongle emperor (1360-1424, r. 1402-1424)Launch coup against nephew (Jianwen
emperor, 1377-1402, r. 1398-1402)The young Jianwen emperor escaped overseasProblems: 1. Did this require 300 ships and 30,000 men?2. Why did these voyages continued for
another decade after Yongle’s death3. How did the nephew make his way to AfricaII. Desire for prestige and gloryIII. Desire to expand trade
Overseas trade continued to grow since the late TangImportant element of Song economy
IV. Naval power
Sino-African Relations 17th-Early 20th Century
Importation of Chinese laborers to AfricaAfrican worker undesirableConflict between African and Chinese
laborersImproved relationship beginning 20th
centuryThrown together by European contemptChinese provided important service to AfricansAwakening of political consciousness
Li LisanW. E. B. DuboisMarcus Aurelius Garvey
Sino-African Relations, 1949-1979
The Cold WarPreoccupied with domestic problems from 1949-1954Political objectives 1. Gain allies against US and SU2. Secure international recognition and China’s position against Taiwan
1954-1960“Five Principles of Mutual Coexistence” Zhou Enlai and Jawaharlal
Nehru1. Mutual respect for territorial integrity2. Non-aggression3. Non-interference4. Equality and mutual benefit5. Peaceful coexistenceExtended to relations with other states
Bandung Conference April 18-24, 1955
First tentative link with Africa1. Of 29 nations that attended, only 6 were from Africa2. Some African attendees pro-Western3. Some had yet to gain independenceNehru, Nkrumah, Nassar, Sukharno, and Tito
Post Bandung late 1950s
Growing rift between China and SUMao’s conceptualization of “intermediate
zone” “Third World”More active engagement with AfricaAlliance of Third World states against the
hegemony of the First and Second WordsImproving Chinese position with newly
independent African nationsParticipation in conferences in Africa
Active Engagement
Ignoring “Non-interference”7/26/1956 Suez Canal Crisis Offered to send 280,000 volunteers to
assist Egypt1957-1962 Algerian independenceChina issued propaganda on behalf of
anti-French rebelsConstruction projectsTanzam RRBridge in Sierra LeoneClinic in Zanzibar
1960s
Increased exchanges, both official and cultural
Long-term viewTwo stages process:
Anti-imperialistSocialist revolution
China as “educator”Solidify China’s position in Africa
Sino-African Relations during Cultural Revolution, 1966-1979
Major set backsCoup in Ghana—overthrow of Nkrumah 1966Red Guard rampage in summer 1967“Bizarre Chinese provocation”Up-swing from 1968
Conclusion
Historical links between China and Africa tenuous at bestSino-African relations during the Maoist period:
influenced by Cold War politicsConsistent “anti-imperialist ideology”Successes tempered with failures