China in Africa: The Dragon in the Lion's Den

• Název práce v češtině: Čína v Africe: drak ve lvím doupěti
• Název v anglickém jazyce: China in Africa: The Dragon in the Lion's Den
• Klíčová slova: Africa, Chuna, neo-colonialism
• Klíčová slova anglicky: Afrika, Čína, neokolonialismus
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2018/2019
• Typ práce: diplomová práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Katedra politologie (23-KP)
• Vedoucí / školitel: doc. Martin Riegl, Ph.D.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno vedoucím/školitelem
• Datum přihlášení: 11.08.2019
• Datum zadání: 11.08.2019
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 26.06.2020 08:00
• Místo konání obhajoby: Jinonice - U Kříže 8, Praha 5, J3093, Jinonice - místn. č. 3093
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 19.05.2020
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 26.06.2020
• Oponenti: PhDr. Michael Romancov, Ph.D.

Zásady pro vypracování

Topic Characteristics:
Some countries in Africa are shifting their economic focus and hopes for infrastructure development away from the West and towards China. What impact will China’s developmental loans and One Belt One Road (OBOR) have on three selected African countries development and China’s geopolitical standing.
I have chosen to do case studies on three former British colonies in Africa that are currently democracies that offer large natural resources or other forms of economic investment for China. The countries chosen are Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. Below lists the certain reasons why these three countries were chosen:
● Democracies were chosen because they have a country’s development as an interest. Dictatorships are likely focused on retaining power.
● I have aimed to keep countries with large natural resources and/or other economic motivations for Chinese investment. Of the 54 African countries, Nigeria has the largest economy, South Africa is number two, and Kenya is number nine.
● Nigeria and South Africa have large amounts of natural resources. Nigeria has large amounts of petroleum, natural gas, and iron ore. South Africa has arable land, large mineral deposits, and fish.
● Kenya doesn’t share the same amount of natural resources with the other two countries, it serves more than 30 shipping lanes and 80 seaports worldwide. It is the largest port in Eastern Africa, and the third largest in Africa. Since it controls the movement of goods between interior African countries like Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, gaining influence in Kenya provides access to many more markets. Those three countries have a total population of 143 million people, offering China access to dump excess goods, and take natural resources.
● Politically, these are key players. They are all political leaders in their respective parts of the continent. They are leaders due to political stability, population size, and size of their countries.
I plan to study China’s geopolitical interests for offering development loans to Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. I believe it is important to study China’s current goals and what its long-term goals are in relation to offering such large developmental loans to African countries. China is aiming to expand its power on the global stage, and it seems that aiding Africa is its first step. China is creating policies that will allow it to expand power economically, instead of militarily. The One Belt One Road initiative is an example of this.
It is important to define what is “beneficial” to African countries as they work towards development. I want to create a system of metrics to measure what is typically seen as Africa’s needs to develop. Will the loans that China is offering actually help these countries develop.
Hypotheses:
Creating a 2 x 2 matrix to decide if China’s loans to chosen African countries will aid in the country’s development, and subsequently strengthen China’s geopolitical position
Horizontal: Will aid in China’s geopolitical position
Vertical: Will help in chosen countries development

Yes No
Yes
No

1. Will aid in Country X’s development, will strengthen China’s position
2. Will aid in Country X’s development, will not strengthen China’s position
3. Will not aid in Country X’s development, will strengthen China’s position
4. Will not aid in Country X’s development, will not strengthen China’s position

These are some preliminary ideas that will be further developed as I continue my research. I believe creating a checklist to see what drives respective countries will be helpful.
Examples of China’s geopolitical goals: building a blue water navy, strengthening their position in the developing world, continued access to natural resources
Examples of African countries development goals: building stronger infrastructure, accessing clean water, strengthening economies.

Methodology:
● Investigating the goals and effects of OBOR → what does China hope to accomplish, what do the partner countries hope to accomplish, what have been the effects of OBOR so far, what are the likely consequences of African countries engaging in OBOR, of the countries that have already engaged with China what have been the consequences
● Defining what is “beneficial” to the chosen African democracies
○ Choosing standard markers of development (ie levels of unemployment, levels of poverty)
● Defining what “strengthens” China’s geopolitical standing
○ Choosing standard markers of China’s stated goals (ie access to resources, dropping excess goods in foreign markets, projection of power through navy)
● Descriptive thesis: Describing the previous loans, and the current situation
● Predictive thesis: Predicting the development of chosen country + China’s geopolitical rise

Seznam odborné literatury

Allison, Graham. “Beijing’s anti-poverty drive has lessons for all.” The Telegraph. August 28, 2018. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/china-watch/society/decreasing-chinas-poverty/

Akpaninyie, Mark. “China’s ‘Debt Diplomacy’ Is a Misnomer. Call It ‘Crony Diplomacy.’” The Diplomat. March 12, 2019.
https://thediplomat.com/2019/03/chinas-debt-diplomacy-is-a-misnomer-call-it-crony-diplomacy/

Ansar, Atif, Bent Flyvbjerg, Alexander Budzier, and Daniel Lunn. “Does infrastructure investment lead to economic growth or economic fragility? Evidence from China.” Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 32, 3 (2016), 360–390.

Carmody, Padraig Risteard. The New Scramble for Africa (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2011) 15.

Center for Global Development. Eight countries affected by Belt & Road debt. Quartz.
Fernholz, Tim. “China’s ‘debt trap’ is even worse than we thought.” Quartz. June 28, 2018. https://qz.com/1317234/chinas-debt-trap-in-sri-lanka-is-even-worse-than-we-thought/

Hart-Landsberg, Martin. “A critical look at China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.” Committee for the Abolition of Illegal Debt. October 10, 2018. http://www.cadtm.org/A-critical-look-at-China-s-One-Belt-One-Road-initiative

Kuo, Lily and Niko Kommenda. “What is China’s Belt and Road initiative?” The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/ng-interactive/2018/jul/30/what-china-belt-road-initiative-silk-road-explainer

Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies. Reviving the Silk Road. Reuters. March 24, 2017.
http://www.cadtm.org/A-critical-look-at-China-s-One-Belt-One-Road-initiative

Nantulya, Paul. “Implications for Africa from China’s One Belt One Road Strategy,” Africa Center for Strategic Studies. March 22, 2019. https://africacenter.org/spotlight/implications-for-africa-china-one-belt-one-road-strategy/

Koda, Yoji. “China’s Blue Water Navy Strategy and its Implications.” Center for New American Security. March 2017.

Shelton, Garth. “China and Africa: Building an Economic Partnership” South African Journal of International Affairs 8, 2 (2001): 111-119.

Předběžná náplň práce

1. Intro
2. Theoretical part
a. Literature Review
b. Methods
The concept OBOR and how it is linked to Africa
3. Empirical: Case Studies
a. Nigeria
b. South Africa
c. Kenya
4. Conclusion

Předběžná náplň práce v anglickém jazyce

1. Intro
2. Theoretical part
a. Literature Review
b. Methods
Theory → Conceptualize the concept OBOR and how it is linked to Africa
3. Empirical: Case Studies
a. Nigeria
b. South Africa
c. Kenya
4. Conclusion