by Nyaradzai Moyo
The African Asian relations range from economic relations, political relations and social relations. The relations evolved from ideological driven interactions during the cold war. Asian countries seeks resources for their growing economies while African countries seek funds to develop their countries.
China helped by weapons, construction of hospitals, airports and training of liberation movements in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia recently it was involved in Sudan crisis. It also helped in setting military bases in Africa with Tanzania as a strategic port. Between 2008 to 2018 Chinese Navy deployed 2600 military personnel in a variety of maritime security operations it also sat a base in Djibouti 2003.
Asian countries have a history of supporting revolutionary parties this differs from the western countries who are always in ties with opposition or democratic parties. China and Africa also establish the China Africa Cooperation Forum which was initiated in 2000 to promote economic development like the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs which have been put in place to promote trade between states. However, the GATT have been criticized for not paying attention to the needs of developing world. China travel around with experts of different fields which resulted in the development of relations with African countries. Zimbabwe with the “Look East Policy” have labelled the eastern countries as an all-weather friend though many scholars have criticised the relations arguing that, China was on the agenda of colonising Africa.
With the vaccine Diplomacy, Asian countries are “racing to show” donating to African countries India, Russia and China producing, donating and distribution of vaccines they call ‘ it race to show” China vaccine have been administered in most African countries. Russia and China have been seeking to expand their power and influence for years and the pandemic is speeding the process. Vaccine diplomacy is being used by Asian countries to further their national interests to gain more power.
China is helping African states with loans “without strings attached”. African countries make half of the nations that are indebted with china, with Djibouti, the Republic of Congo, Niger, and Zambia topping the list in terms of share of GDP. Zambia in 2020 appealed to China to restructure $11 billion in loans, however, China insisted that all its arrears be cleared as a precondition. This led other lenders whom Zambian had asked for bail outs to become reluctant to offer the country concessions as they might be used to pay arrears to Chinese creditors. China s debt trap diplomacy have faced criticism .According to Ghana s finance minister Ken Ofori “China’s approach to debt negotiations disadvantages its highly indebted partners it makes other debtors nervous that their realised resources will simply be transferred to Beijing.
The relations have faced criticism because corruption feature prominently in the economic agreements between African and Asian friends. Government leaders tend to negotiate mega deals for their personal gains. This is shown by the fact that, most of the things that come to Africa are substandard and African leaders are not to raising their voices against the dumping. This is against the principle of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. It has been argued that, Chinese statistics on deals with the western countries are well documented but it’s not so with the deals with Africans.
India and Korea are having economic ties, with Africa. Heads of states representing the African continent have been holding summits discussing issues to do with cooperation in trade and industry, economic cooperation thus taking ideas of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Asian countries like Japan had been a signatory in the GATT. KOICA extended assistance to Uganda to build a vocational training institution in Uganda.
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Japan and Africa, though the launching of the Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development with the objective of promoting high level policy dialogue between Africa and the development partners. According to Tovik (2009) Africa have been an important world region for Japan s Trade and Investments. Japan had offered aid assistance in Madagascar Senegal and in West Africa it has managed to eradicate poverty and malnutrition. However official development between Japan and Africa have been inefficacious as most African states are in comatose status.
