ANNUAL REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA No.17 (2014-2015): China's Soft Power Building in Africa: Achievements, Challenges and Way Forward
Abstract
This book is the Annual Report on Development of Africa edited by the Institute of West Asian and African Studies ( IWAAS) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences ( CASS). The Annual Report is composed of seven parts: Main Report, Special Report, Academic Frontier, Regional Situation, Hot Spot Issues, Market Assessment, and Documentation. Authors of the Annual Report come from the IWAAS of the CASS, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation ( CAITEC ) of the Ministry of Commerce, Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Fourth Bureau of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China ( CPC), the Institute of African Studies of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations ( CICIR), Shanghai Institutes for International Studies ( SIIS), China⁃Africa Development Fund ( CAD Fund), the Institute of World Economics and Politics ( IWEP) of the CASS, School of Economics of Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and Department of Culture of the Chinese Embassy to Zimbabwe.
The fixed columns ( Regional Situation, Hot Spot Issues, Market Assessment, and Documentation) of this Annual Report have made comprehensive and systematic studies regarding political situation and hot spot issues of Africa in 2014, discussing the development of African economy and market, analyzing and assessing new trends in world major powers' relations with Africa especially in Sino⁃African relations. The Annual Report has also introduced the latest research findings on African studies in China, compiled memorabilia of Africa and released major macroeconomic indicators of African countries.
The Annual Report has set up a new column titled “ Academic Frontier” this year, aiming to put forward in⁃depth studies on African significant practical and theoretical issues regarding China. Four dissertations have been adopted by this column: The Current Periodical Features of African Party Politics and Its Influence on Sino⁃Africa Party Relations, Structural Changes and Prospects of Economic Development in Africa, The New Trends of Western Neo⁃Interventionism and China's Response, Changes of African National Boundaries and China's Response Measures.
The theme of the Special Report this year is “ China's Soft Power Building in Africa: Achievements, Challenges and Way Forward”. Since its separation with the Annual Report on Development in the Middle East in 2012, annual themes of the Special Report are “Retrospect and Prospect of Sino⁃African Cooperation in the New Century”, “ Opportunities and Paths on Cooperation between China and African Regional Economies”, “ Policies of Great Powers towards Africa and International Environment of Sino⁃African Relations”.The theme of the Special Report should on the one hand cover new changes, new situation, new problems, new features, and new tendencies in certain fields of Sino⁃African relations, or should be related to frontier topics of Sino⁃African relations; on the other hand, however, it need to pay close attention to the “internal logical link” among each year's annual theme, so as to make them interrelated components of a series study.
The theme of the Annual Report this year is “ China's Soft Power Building in Africa: Achievements, Challenges and Way Forward”. It is composed of one Main Report and six Special Reports From perspectives of “ current situation ”,“challenges” and “ Way Forward”, the Main Report has made a comprehensive analysis on China's Soft Power Building in Africa and come out with relevant suggestions and advices. With viewpoints of both Chinese and foreign researchers, six Special Reports have conducted studies on China's soft power building in Africa regarding different fields of think tank, education, public health, mass media, and culture, trying to figure out its Achievements, challenges and possible solutions.