See all 3 imagesChina and Africa: A Century of Engagement Hardcover – June 20, 2012
by David H. Shinn (Author), Joshua Eisenman (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Fascination with China's role in Africa continues to be strong. . . . This volume stands out for the breadth of its coverage, as signaled by the subtitle 'a century of engagement', and by its sheer heft. It is the closest we have to an encyclopedia on China and Africa, with a wealth of detail and examples."—International Affairs
"Without doubt, China and Africa; A Century of Engagement presents, in depth, all facets of intercourse between China and the African continent during the last century. . . . Given its exhaustive scope, the book could be subtitled "Everything You Wanted To Know about China and Africa," with much valuable reference material for Africanists, especially."—Executive Intelligence Review
"Major investments by China's state-controlled companies have been accompanied by the arrival of the million or so Chinese citizens working in Africa today and by a major diplomatic initiative that has sent numerous high-level Chinese government missions to African countries in recent years. Shinn and Eisenman's book usefully situates these developments in a broad historical context, showing important areas of continuity with earlier Sino-African links. . . . [The authors] describe in comprehensive detail the diplomatic, commercial, and security facets of the new Chinese presence, with sections on every African country. The book is particularly strong when clarifying the evolution of Chinese diplomatic and security strategies in the region."—Foreign Affairs
About the Author
David H. Shinn is the former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso and teaches international affairs at George Washington University. He is coauthor of The Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. Joshua Eisenman is Senior Fellow in China Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, a PhD candidate in political science at UCLA, and teaches comparative politics at New York University. He is coeditor of China and the Developing World: Beijing's Strategy for the Twenty-First Century.
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Product details
Hardcover: 544 pages
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press; null edition (June 20, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812244192
ISBN-13: 978-0812244199
The People's Republic of China once limited its involvement in African affairs to building an occasional railroad or port, supporting African liberation movements, and loudly proclaiming socialist solidarity with the downtrodden of the continent. Now Chinese diplomats and Chinese companies, both state-owned and private, along with an influx of Chinese workers, have spread throughout Africa. This shift is one of the most important geopolitical phenomena of our time. China and Africa: A Century of Engagement presents a comprehensive view of the relationship between this powerful Asian nation and the countries of Africa.
This book, the first of its kind to be published since the 1970s, examines all facets of China's relationship with each of the fifty-four African nations. It reviews the history of China's relations with the continent, looking back past the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. It looks at a broad range of areas that define this relationship—politics, trade, investment, foreign aid, military, security, and culture—providing a significant historical backdrop for each. David H. Shinn and Joshua Eisenman's study combines careful observation, meticulous data analysis, and detailed understanding gained through diplomatic experience and extensive travel in China and Africa. China and Africa demonstrates that while China's connection to Africa is different from that of Western nations, it is no less complex. Africans and Chinese are still developing their perceptions of each other, and these changing views have both positive and negative dimensions.
6 customer reviews
April 5, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Fascinating review of what China is developing in Africa. Expensive to buy, but very worthwhile to rent.
May 18, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
well written, very interesting!
December 6, 2012
Format: Hardcover
Chinese leaders refer to China as the world's 'largest developing country' and Africa as 'the continent with the most developing countries.' This book reports on China-Africa relations between 1911-2011, emphasizing the post -1949 period, taking each country (54 in total) individually. Key themes include the following:
1)China Initiates the Relationship: China's GDP ($10.1 trillion in 2010) dwarfs every Africa country, and its comparative advantage in most labor and capital intensive production gives it a commanding advantage.
2)China Uses a 'Package' Strategy: China's state-directed assistance and commerce has come with the presence of state-run firms in Africa building bridges, dams, roads, and railroads. Package deals include large amounts of aid, security support, and infrastructure building to get access to raw materials. Mainly State Owned Companies implement the deals. Some African countries are creating SEZs that offer Chinese firms preferential tax and investment terms. In 2009, China became Africa's largest trading partner, and its arms makers are an increasingly important supplier of military assistance. Chinese universities and training centers also teach thousands of Africans, and it has 28 Confucius Institutes in Africa.
The Taiwan Issue: Beijing has spent enormous energy and resources to end African countries' diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. Only four African countries still recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan).
China's Support Has Moved From Supporting Revolutions to Pragmatism: Since the 1990s, pragmatism has overwhelmingly prevailed, especially in economics.
Growth of Chinese Communities in Africa: These include Chinese professionals staffing embassies, aid missions, and large Chinese companies - often accompanied by their families and usually speak a local language. A second group is the tousands of contract Chinese laborers; they generally live together, each Chinese food, don't learn local languages, and leave after 2-3 years. A third group is small traders or business persons.
One third of Chinese oil imports come from Africa, as well as growing amounts of raw materials.
The author's reporting goes back to Cleopatra, reporting that she wore silks that likley came from China. Then Zheng He made a voyage to the Somali coastline around 1418 with a fleet comparable in size to the Spanish Armada.
1)China Initiates the Relationship: China's GDP ($10.1 trillion in 2010) dwarfs every Africa country, and its comparative advantage in most labor and capital intensive production gives it a commanding advantage.
2)China Uses a 'Package' Strategy: China's state-directed assistance and commerce has come with the presence of state-run firms in Africa building bridges, dams, roads, and railroads. Package deals include large amounts of aid, security support, and infrastructure building to get access to raw materials. Mainly State Owned Companies implement the deals. Some African countries are creating SEZs that offer Chinese firms preferential tax and investment terms. In 2009, China became Africa's largest trading partner, and its arms makers are an increasingly important supplier of military assistance. Chinese universities and training centers also teach thousands of Africans, and it has 28 Confucius Institutes in Africa.
The Taiwan Issue: Beijing has spent enormous energy and resources to end African countries' diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. Only four African countries still recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan).
China's Support Has Moved From Supporting Revolutions to Pragmatism: Since the 1990s, pragmatism has overwhelmingly prevailed, especially in economics.
Growth of Chinese Communities in Africa: These include Chinese professionals staffing embassies, aid missions, and large Chinese companies - often accompanied by their families and usually speak a local language. A second group is the tousands of contract Chinese laborers; they generally live together, each Chinese food, don't learn local languages, and leave after 2-3 years. A third group is small traders or business persons.
One third of Chinese oil imports come from Africa, as well as growing amounts of raw materials.
The author's reporting goes back to Cleopatra, reporting that she wore silks that likley came from China. Then Zheng He made a voyage to the Somali coastline around 1418 with a fleet comparable in size to the Spanish Armada.
October 25, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Shinn and Eisenman have authored nothing less than a scholarly masterpiece It is the most comprehensive and detailed
work on China's relations with Africa to date. Meticulously researched, China and Africa covers China's ancient relations until today in terms of the following Sino-African ties: history, politics, trade, investment and assistance, military and security, media, education, and culture. The book is also broken-down into four regions of Chinese interest: North Africa, West and Central Africa, East Africa, and South Africa. I do not normally give 5 stars but this piece would deserve a 6 on a 5 scale. Buy it. It is worth the money.
work on China's relations with Africa to date. Meticulously researched, China and Africa covers China's ancient relations until today in terms of the following Sino-African ties: history, politics, trade, investment and assistance, military and security, media, education, and culture. The book is also broken-down into four regions of Chinese interest: North Africa, West and Central Africa, East Africa, and South Africa. I do not normally give 5 stars but this piece would deserve a 6 on a 5 scale. Buy it. It is worth the money.
February 8, 2013
Format: Hardcover
I invited Joshua to speak at my courses on Emerging Markets at both NYU and CIEE. His knowledge of the topic is not only stunning, but categorical. This book provides a basic theory, and then goes into depth-- country by country-- on the amazing and largely unknown topic of China and African (which is of course many different people with many different ideas) relations and cuts through the clutter. An assigned reading for such courses, and a must read for such aspirants. Five stars.
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