【Report】CHINA IN AFRICA: DISCOURSE, IMAGES, POLICY

On June 22, 2023, Seifudein Adem, a Professor at Doshisha University, gave a presentation on China’s growing presence in Africa.

The presentation was composed of five sections, followed by a Q&A session. First, the presentation began by comparing two films, The Lawrence of Arabia and Wolf Warrior II. The careful analysis of the movies showed the similarities and differences between European empires from the colonial era and what he called “China’s new empire” emerging in Africa today. Although there exist significant differences, Beijing’s presence in Africa is akin to how European colonial powers ruled its colonies.

After contrasting the two films, Prof. Adem explained contradictions in China’s approach to Africa—namely, its investment in countries that are endowed with crucial natural resources it craves and those with little of them, its use of various actors with divergent interests, its ad-hoc use of the frameworks of international organizations, and its role in encouraging both peace and armed conflict in Africa.

In the third section, the presentation introduced “Sino-optimism” in Africa, which is a view that sees the presence of China as beneficial to Africa. Prof. Adem explained that the optimistic view of China is grounded in three reasons—the fact that Beijing was never a colonial power, China’s support for national liberation movements in Africa in the 60s and 70s, and its supposed benign intentions. He critically examined these reasons by arguing that 1) China’s past behavior does not guarantee its future actions, 2) today’s China is not the China that supported independence movements, and 3) Beijing's deeds do not indicate its benign intentions.

To assess China’s presence in Africa, the fourth section proposed criteria to evaluate whether China’s presence in Africa is beneficial to the continent. Prof. Adem then wrapped up his presentation with three quotes concerning European imperialism by Edward Said, Ali Mazrui, and John Plamenatz. He argued that these quotes are highly relevant to studying China’s growing presence in Africa today.

Finally, the presentation was followed by a vibrant Q&A session. Many audience members asked interesting questions regarding, among other things, Sino-optimism, agency of African countries, and methodological criteria for selecting movies for research.

Written by Daichi Morishige (PhD student at Ritsumeikan University)