ANNUAL REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA No.16 (2013-2014): New Trends of the Great Power's Africa Policy and the International Environment for Developing China-Africa Relations

　　Abstract

　　This issue of Annual Report on Development in Africa is compiled by the Institute of West Asian and African Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The content of this issue is composed of 6 parts: General Report, Special Report, Regional Situation, Hot Spot Issues, Market Assessment and Documentation. The authors come from different institutions such as Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Fourth Bureau of International Department of the Central Committee of CPC, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, the Institute for International Strategic Studies of the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, China-Africa Development Fund, Fudan University, South China Normal University, Chinese Embassy in France and the Japan International Cooperation Agency and so on.

　　In the fixed columns of this issue, the authors have comprehensively and systematically analyzed the political situation and hot sport issues in Africa in 2013, discussed the economic situation and market trends in Africa, analyzed the new trends of the relations between big powers and Africa and estimated in advance the evolution trends of their relations; in addition, the new progress of African studies in China, the Africa chronology and macro-economic indicators of the African countries are also provided in the relevant column.

　　Since entering the 21st century, the rapid development of China-Africa partnership has not only caused the shock, hot comments and attention of the international community, but also led to a linkage effect between several relations such as those between big powers and Africa, relations among big powers in Africa, and even relations among the big powers. It is just due to the interaction of these relations that China-Africa relations could present a series of new changes, new situations, new problems, new features or new trends at the level of international system. In view of this, this issue of Annual Report on Development in Africa has set up two interrelated special columns: New Trends of the Policy of the Major Powers in Africa and International Situation That China-Africa Relations Face.

　　Six developed countries and three emerging countries have been selected and presented in the first column, such as the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Germany, the U． S． and Japan, as well as India, Russia and Turkey. These countries, which have regional and even global impact, keep relatively close relationship with Africa. They are not only the main bodies of the international cooperation in Africa, but also stakeholders for China’s interests in Africa. From the angle of respective countries, the analysis in this column has focused on the trends of their policies, priorities, policy objectives, actual policy effects and their possible impact on China’s interests and existence in Africa.

　　From a macro perspective, the second special column places emphasis on the impact on China-Africa relations in future arising from the changes of international political environment and global economic situation, and the countermeasures that China should take.

　　The general report of this issue International Situation and Trend of Its Evolution That China Faces in Africa has mainly placed the objects of studies under the macrobackground of globalization and multi-polarization that represent the development trend of world economy and international politics． It has taken the “ international factors” in China-Africa relations and the “Chinese factors” in big powers’ relations in Africa as the starting point of analyzing the evolution trend of the international situation that China faces in Africa since entering the 21st century, with the research angle focused on the interactions among several relations such as those between big powers and Africa, relations among big powers in Africa, strategic relations among the big powers, as well as China’s rise and changes of the international system.