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ANNUAL REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA No.15 (2012-2013)
Time : 2019-03-22

ANNUAL REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA No.15 (2012-2013): Opportunities and Path for Regional Economic Cooperation Between China and Africa

   

  Abstract

  This issue of Annual Report on Development in Africa includes two topics:“Opportunities and Paths of China-Africa Regional Economic Cooperation” and “Review and Prospect of China-Africa Cooperation in the New Century”. The former is designed to agree with the Chinese government’s initiative on the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which is to

  “support Africa in the integration building and help Africa to improve its overall development capacity”; the latter is the continuation of the topic in the 14th edition of Annual Report on Development in Africa, in order to make readers have a more omprehensive and systematic understanding on the development of China-Africa cooperation in various fields in the new century.

  Africa is the first to propose the integrated development across the continent among all the continents. Under the guidance of the Pan-Africanism, generations of African people have been making unremitting efforts for the grand ideal of unity and revival of Africa. Entering the 21st century, in response to the challenges of economic globalization, the African countries had shown greater aspiration to deepen African unity and self-development. In view of the grim reality in Africa with a large number of countries, weak and small economic scales, similar economic structures and poor complementarity, more and more people have realized that it is difficult to get rid of the risk of being marginalized in globalization if they act respectively; Africa’s future lies in close economic ties and cooperation among the countries at regional and continental level, and Africa should integrate the economic resources of each country through promoting regional integration to enhance the overall strength of the African economy and the ability to resist risks.

  Although the process of economic integration of Africa faces many difficulties and challenges, its orientation is undoubtedly correct, and its condition is sufficient. In the new century, the whole situation of African economy has taken a favorable turn and maintained a sustained growth, becoming the continent whose economy increases fastest in the world except the Asian continent. It is particularly important that more and more African countries have recognized that unity for self-development and integration of the regional advantages are the outlet of the overall development of Africa. In recent years, under the guidance and coordination of the African Union and regional organizations, the process of African integration has made some substantial progress at the continental and regional levels, gradually formulated and published a series of policies and development plans, whose gist is to coordinate the relations between industrialization and regional integration in Africa; on give full consideration on the rational division of labor and the layout in different countries in the region so as to avoid repeated constructions; to promote regional market construction so as to form gradually a rational distribution of regional industrial chain and supply chain in accelerating the process of regional investment and trade integration.   

  The new progress of regional economic integration in Africa has attracted much attention from the international community, especially of the major countries of the world; African countries place also their hopes on the international cooperation, especially on China’s participation, to which China has had a positive response. In July 2012, President Hu Jintao declared solemnly on the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that China would continue to promote the bilateral cooperation between China and Africa, and at the same time to “support Africa in the integration and help Africa to improve its overall development capacity”.

  China’s participation in the inter-national and inter-regional cooperation in Africa is based on the common interests and actual needs of both sides. Having experienced the rapid development in the first decade of the 21st century, China-Africa economic and trade relation is now at a crucial stage to a higher level. Up to now, China-Africa economic and trade cooperation is mainly carried out through country-to-country channels, with the cross-border and inter-regional cooperation lagged. The acceleration of the regional economic integration in Africa not only accords with the trend of economic development in Africa, but also provides new opportunities for China to enhance the scale and level of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and to expand and extend the interests and presence of China in Africa.

  There are many favorable conditions for China’s participation in cross-border and inter-regional cooperation in Africa: China and Africa are both at the rising stage of economic development, they are in different stages of industrialization, hence a complementarity exists between the two economies. There are many common interests between China and Africa in the process of their own industry structure adjustment, in the transformation of economic growth patterns, as well as industrialization and urbanization. These could make the two sides achieve complementary advantages, mutual benefit and win-win results in the cross-border and inter-regional cooperation in Africa.

  In addition to the willingness to cooperate, interests and concerns of both sides, the composition of the cooperation factors and their selection are also important for China-Africa cross-border and inter-regional cooperation in Africa to gain good effect. The cooperation factors are comprised of the way of cooperation, field of cooperation, selection of project of cooperation, cooperative opportunity, funding and apportionment, technology transfer, project management, risk prevention, distribution of benefits, and so on.

  There are both opportunities and challenges in China’s participation in crossborder and inter-regional cooperation in Africa. Multilateral cooperation is different from bilateral cooperation. Due to the increase of the member of partners,multilateral cooperation not only involves the complex relationship of interest, but also cumbersome cooperative program, which will increase the cost of coordination and communication. Additionally, the Chinese enterprises generally lack the experience in multilateral cooperation, with related policies and regulations and supportive measures not complete. China should understand clearly the reality and prepare for it fully and adequately.

  

Copyright: Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, CASS

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