China's Maritime Silk Road and Asia by Vijay Sakhuja & Jane Chan

Author:Vijay Sakhuja & Jane Chan [Sakhuja, Vijay & Chan, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789385563089
Google: spbGxgEACAAJ
Amazon: B019IN499C
Barnesnoble: B019IN499C
Goodreads: 29505238
Publisher: Vij Books India Pvt Limited
Published: 2016-01-15T07:06:59+00:00

6 China’s Africa Push for MSR

Antara Ghosal Singh

The ‘Vision and Action Plan on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road’, released on March 2015, by National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, stated that “through this initiative, China, intends to connect Asian, European and African countries more closely and take mutually beneficial cooperation to a new high and in new forms”1. While connectivity between Asian and European countries has always been the cornerstone of China’s flagship ‘One Belt One Road initiative’, however, Africa’ figured for the first time, officially, in this strategic game plan2.

It is in this context, questions arise ‘Why Africa? Why now?’ ‘How will a blueprint for MSR in Africa possibly look like?’ ‘What is Africa’s response to this development’ and finally, ‘What does it imply for India?’ But, before we delve deep into these wide-ranging questions, it is important to explore the background of how the changing dynamics of China-Africa relationship has converged with the MSR narrative.

Changing Dynamics of China-Africa Ties and its convergence with MSR

China’s engagement in Africa has a long history. Following the success of Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, China began aiding African nations since 1955. Infrastructure development soon became the chosen area of cooperation. The Chinese funded Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) constructed in the 70s became the epitome of China-Africa camaraderie. Today, China claims to have completed 1,046 projects in Africa, built 2,233 kms of railways and 3,530 kms of roads3. It is one of the most active players in the key sectors of the African economy such as aviation, highway, railway, telecommunications and power projects. The proposed 1,402 km coastal railway in Nigeria (China’s single largest overseas project), the ongoing Mombasa-Nairobi railway in Kenya and the Addis Ababa-Djibouti rail projects in East Africa are some of the noteworthy Chinese investments in Africa4. Reportedly, 2,500 Chinese companies are operating in Africa today and creating over 100,000 jobs in the continent. China even claims that China-Africa cooperation has contributed to more than 20 percent of Africa’s development.

Under the Xi-Li leadership, this relationship has been further fast- tracked. There have been back-to-back high-level exchanges between the two sides in recent years and newer, more innovative pledges taken, replacing the older and more conventional ways of interactions. For instance in 2014, after taking office, President Xi Jinping visited Africa (Tanzania, South Africa and Republic of Congo) as a part of his maiden overseas visits symbolising the continent’s rising importance in Chinese foreign policy. Soon after Premier Li Keqiang undertook a four-country Africa tour visiting Ethiopia, Angola, Kenya, and Nigeria and 13 African leaders visited China during the year5. Again, beginning of 2015, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as a part of his ‘customary beginning-of- year Africa trip’, visited five African nations - Kenya, Sudan, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo6.

During these visits, the Chinese side initiated what they called ‘China-Africa relation version 2’ or China’s new Africa policy based on 4-6-1 cooperative mode (ie.

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