University of Groningen
China's relationships with Africa re-appraised
Jiang, Bin
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Publication date: 2019
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Citation for published version (APA):
Jiang, B. (2019). China's relationships with Africa re-appraised: the lense of domestic experiences in agricultural technology extension and its reflection in China's foreign policy towards Africa. University of Groningen.
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SUMMARY
241 The main research question of this study is: What are the experiences and lessons that China has implemented domestically and in Africa on agriculture and agricultural technology extension, to what extent Sino– African agricultural development cooperation is reflected in the Chinese foreign policy goals from the perspective that consist with value chain and farmer participation, which differs from the traditional neorealist perspective? To answer this question, the study applied three theoretical elements: neorealism, value chain and farmer participation; also, the study explored the agricultural demonstration centers in China and Tanzania according to the research hypotheses.
In international relations, neorealism is widely used by scholars to analyse the Sino-African relationship. However, this study views neorealism as inadequate to explain the relationship between China and Africa in this era of globalisation. That is because neorealism does not respond to economic concerns in international relationships (especially cooperatives) and it fails to capture human interactions in international development partnerships.
To substantiate this argument, this study conducted fieldwork in China and Tanzania (a significant country in the Sino-African relationship). It is important to note that this study focused exclusively on agricultural partnerships and agricultural technology as a core component of both Chinese agricultural development and Sino-African agricultural development partnerships. By comparing Chinese domestic experiences with those in Tanzania, this study sought to identify an inclusive means to guide Sino-African agricultural development.
To respond to the economic considerations inherent in international relationships and joint partnerships, this study examined the value chain underlying the Sino-African agricultural partnerships. In an effort to understand the history of agricultural cooperation between these nations, this study examined Sino-African partnerships dating back to the 1950s. This study included key informant interviews and questionnaires to analyse the implications of Sino-African agricultural technology and ensure that the research findings are relevant to stakeholders. Based on these analyses, this research offers the following conclusions:
First, by comparing the agricultural development of China domestically and in Tanzania, this study suggests that Africa can learn from Chinese
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agricultural development in terms of small-scale operations, strategies and policies of agricultural development, and agricultural science and technology. Moreover, Africa should create tailored policies based on their unique needs (own national conditions) while learning from China’s experiences.
Second, China’s foreign policy goals in Africa have changed based on the evolving political systems. In particular, agricultural cooperation has gradually become a core component in the Sino-African development cooperation. What’s more, technology transfer or extension is a key element in the agricultural development programmes of China and Africa.
Third, this study concludes that Sino-African relations challenge neorealism conceptions of international cooperation and international politics. In this era of globalisation, neorealism should consider economic elements in forming international unions. Neorealism must also respond to stakeholder considerations in developing international policies to ensure their relevance. Ultimately, this study concludes that a farmer-participation-value chain approach is key for future Sino-African agricultural programmes and can be applied to a variety of industries (under development) for future research projects in the neorealism realm.
