Book description
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.
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.
