ANNUAL REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA No.19 (2016-2017): African Industrialization and China's Construction of Industrial Parks in Africa
Abstract
Since the very beginning of their independence, African countries have made industrialization as an important target of economic development, hoping to change the dependency structure of their economies shaped by colonization. Into the 21 st century, African countries are pushing the industrialization process even more actively. In 2015, the Commission of African Union put forward Agenda 2063, which laid out the blueprint of long⁃term development strategy and middle & short⁃term action plans for African industrialization. The agenda aims to optimize the economic structures of African countries and to maintain the sustainable economic and social development through industrialization.During this process, industrial parks are regarded by more and more African countries as important measures to boost industrialization.However, owing to various constraint factors, most African countries are unlikely to construct industrial parks on their own. They are earnestly asking for international cooperation on financing, technology introduction and management, which provide historical opportunity for China⁃Africa production capacity cooperation relayed on industrial parks.Currently, there are about 100 industrial parks constructed, being constructed or prepared by China in Africa, of which more than 30 are already in operation. Given the fact that African industrialization and China⁃Africa joint construction of industrial parks are and will be a spectacular event in African economic development and China's economic and
trade cooperation with Africa in the future, production capacity cooperation in particular, and they fit very well with both China's Belt and Road Initiative and Africa's strategic goals of Agenda 2063, the editing committee of Annual Report on African Development set the African Industrialization and China's construction of Industrial Parks in Africa as the special topic for this year's African yellow book.
The Annual Report is composed of six units: Main Report, Special Report, Regional Situation, Hot Spot Issues, Market Assessment and Documentation. Contributors are from more than 10 institutes and practical sectors, namely, Institute of West Asian and African Studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences ( IWAAS, CASS ), Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation ( CAITEC ) of the Ministry of Commerce, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), Shanghai Institutes for International Studies ( SIIS), Nankai University, State Grid Corporation of China, China Communications Construction Company, PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company, China⁃Africa Lekki Investment Ltd, Jiagnsu Yongyuan Investment Co ,Ltd,China⁃Africa TEDA Investment Co ,Ltd, Qingdao Ruichang Cotton Industrial Corporation, and Huajian Group.
The column of Special Report consists of one main report and nine special reports. The main report gives a comprehensive analysis of industrial parks jointly constructed by China and Africa with its history and development trends, opportunities and challenges, policy recommendations and measures. The specialreports, written by persons in charge of Chinese enterprises operating in Africa, elaborate on China's industrial park construction in Africa and performance, problems and countermeasures from their respective perspectives
The column of Regional Situation includes 4 reports, which mainly analyze regional political and economic situations as well as new trends of big powers'relations with Africa, and also provide in advance some judgments on their development trends. The column of Hot Spot Issues includes 2 reports, which respectively probes into the new enclosure movement in Africa with its background, development, effects on Africa and inspirations to China, and discusses the Zimbabwe's indigenisation policy with its background, and effects on Zimbabwe's economy and Chinese enterprises.
Four reports in the column of Market Assessment contributed by four experts from CAITEC of the Ministry of Commerce, deal with Africa��s regional trade, investment, and engineering markets in 2016 and updated situations of international aid to Africa.
The Documentation includes China's African studies in 2016, a chronology of Africa, and a chart on macro⁃economic indicators for African countries.