1. Introduction Giles Mohan, Open University, UK 2. Chinese aid: redefining cooperation and donor co

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1. Introduction (Giles Mohan, Open University,
UK)2. Chinese aid redefining cooperation and
donor coordination (Marcus Power, University of
Durham, UK )3. Chinese migrants in Africa as
new agents of development? (May Tan-Mullins,
University of Durham, UK)4. Synthesis (Giles
Mohan, Open University, UK)
China as a new shaper of development
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Hu says
We will continue to hold high the banner of
peace, development and cooperation, unswervingly
follow the road of peaceful development, firmly
pursue the independent foreign policy of peace
and dedicate ourselves to developing friendly
relations and cooperation with all countries (Hu
Jintao, 2005)
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How is Chinas (neoliberal) vision of development
made real in different contexts?

• Two mutually constituting D/development
  tendencies (Hart, 2001)
• big D Development as a post-World War II
  project of intervention in the third world,
  emerging in the context of decolonization/the
  Cold War, which may create trusteeship
• little d development as the development of
  capitalism as a geographically uneven, profoundly
  contradictory set of historical processes
• Need to consider both Chinas path to capitalist
  development the rationalities, doctrines
  institutional processes through which it seeks to
  embed and legitimise this path

4
Chinese D/d development in Africa

• The behaviour of thousands of newly settled
  Chinese businessmen and the conduct of the
  African communities in which they live and work
  will matter as much as the diplomacy and
  concessions made at the government level.
• (Alden 2007 128)

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Geopolitics the histories of China-Africa
engagement

• Chinese treated in right-wing press as purveyors
  of rogue aid, which undermines rational
  western aid
• The critique presents western aid as
  non-political and Chinese aid as cynically
  business-oriented
• All conceptualisations of development contain
  express a geopolitical imagination that
  conditions its meanings relations (Slater,
  1993).
• Hence, Chinese aid and development assistance has
  always had geopolitical motivations, which are
  both similar and different to the west in aims
  and effects

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Migration, integration and development

• Tension between African governments laissez
  faire attitudes to Chinese aid and investment and
  formal and informal politicisation of Chinese
  migrants by Africans
• Degrees of integration and embeddedness of
  Chinese migrants will affect D/d development of
  both China and Africa
• Class and race issues becoming blurred in
  contestations over African development
• So need to look at (a) the micro-level political
  economy of the Chinese in Africa and (b) the
  histories of African state-building in order to.
• Explain why Chinese are welcome in some African
  states/localities and not in others and what are
  their developmental effects

Among ordinary people, a very strong resentment,
bordering on racism, is emerging against the
Chinese...Its because the Chinese are seen as
backing the African governments in oppressing
their own people (Melber 2007)
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Conclusions Questioning development

• Chinese aid, trade and investment benefiting some
  countries, sectors and groups
• Socialist solidarity created its own forms of
  trusteeship so has its aftermath, but arguably
  with less paternalism
• Shift in Chinese foreign policy discourses from
  anti-hegemonism non-interference to focus on
  capacity-building and multilateralism
• Flows of Chinese to Africa creating tensions
  depending upon perceived levels of exploitation,
  although couched in cultural rather than class
  terms
• How will political processes in Africa unfold
  around the China question?

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Thanks and to find out more

• www.geography.dur.ac.uk/projects/china-africa