Analysis of the Chinese Foreign Policy on the Crisis Regions in Africa: The Case Studies of Darfur and South Sudan

Abstract

Africa, as a continent with which China has intensified its bilateral relations most, has been at the forefront of the Chinese foreign policy in recent years. However, certain economic aspects of the Chinese foreign policy towards Sub-Saharan Africa have been construed by some as a sort of neo-colonialism. There are mainly differing aspects in China's energy and trade relations with the countries in the region that cause these discourses on colonialism. The giant investments int the energy sectors of Sub-Saharan Africa countries and the trade-surplus in bilateral trade in favour of China make African countries dependent on China. Owing to this one-sided dependency, there are fears that China is seeking to establish alternative power relations in Africa. Having said that, Chinese efforts for mediation in crisis areas in Africa and its cooperation with international organizations for the resolution of conflicts require a re-assessment of these threats perceived from or constituted against China. For instance, although China opposed the deployment of UN Peacekeeping Operations in the crisis areas in 1990s, it has been actively taking part in five of seven operations as of 2019. In this article, a historical evaluation of the Chinese foreign policy towards Sub-Saharan Africa has been made, and the place of Africa in the Chinese policy has been explained with reference to support given to the UN Peacekeeping Operations in Darfur and South Sudan crisis areas.