China and India in Africa. An analysis of unfolding relations

Daniel Alvarenga, Johanna Jansson and Sanusha Naidu, all at the Centre for Chinese Studies of the University of Stellenbosch, describe, in "China and India in Africa: an analysis of unfolding relations", the political and economic intricacies of China and India’s unfolding parallel engagement of Africa. The two Asian powers are revolutionising the strategies used by economic and diplomatic stakeholders on the African continent while riding the current wave of change in the power relations within the international political community. The article favours the argument that China and India’s presence on the African continent constitutes a response to the current general fluidity in the international political landscape, and offers less support for the view of a new scramble for Africa. Trade is up, investments are up, diplomatic visits and dialogues are up and the implications are vast. China and India retain a distinct modus operandi in their engagement, encouraged by their unique place in the dynamics of the global political economy, an engagement which is best understood through the mechanics of complex interdependence and constituency-economics. The analysis of these unfolding relations concludes that Africa is now at an economic and diplomatic crossroads in which broad strategic choices have to be made, a set of decisions which will significantly determine the ultimate nature of the engagements.