This course looks at the totality of the China-Africa relationship historically, currently and into the future. It will examine China's objectives in Africa and the methods it uses to achieve them. The course, which covers both North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, will give special attention to the politics, economics and security interests of China in Africa's 54 countries. It follows six years of research and writing for a book that I co-authored with David H. Shinn by the University of Pennsylvania Press and titled China and Africa: A Century of Engagement. In addition to this book the readings for each class come from chapters in other books, recent academic articles, reports/studies prepared by governments, think tanks, NGOs, international organizations, scholars and journalistic accounts.
Questions explored in this class included: How has China defined its interests in Africa, and how has that changed over time? What policies does China pursue to support its declared interests and its larger foreign policy goals? What methods or tactics does Beijing employ with African nations to achieve its objectives? What assets does it bring to bear, and what weaknesses continue to hamper its efforts? How successful has Chinese diplomacy been in these regions? Has Chinese influence grown and, if so, upon what does its influence rest? If not, what are the obstacles to Chinese influence? What are the implications of China's policies toward other actors? What impact does Beijing's new outreach have on regional affairs, including governance and the overall welfare of Africans? What impact does Beijing's recent engagement have on U.S. interests? And what impact does it have on the preservation or evolution of international norms and institutions?