David Moser invites two guests to discuss the unique perspectives of the fast-developing China-Africa relationship, as well as opinion on past, present and future ties.
David Moser invites two guests to discuss the unique perspectives of the fast-developing China-Africa relationship, as well as opinion on past, present and future ties.
With China-Africa relations, it's easy to get caught up in the statistics and the headlines. But, as BON's Tony Zhou explains, it is possible to put a human face on the relationship between these giants.
Sometimes the numbers are just staggering. At the beginning of this year, China-Africa trade hit more than 100 billion dollars annually. By contrast, U.S.-Africa trade is not projected to hit that amount for at least another year. Look at that statistic, and you’ll understand why so many African nations are turning to Beijing instead of Washington.
As of now, China is the single biggest investor and the biggest builder of infrastructure in Africa. The projects have included railroads, hotels, pipelines, schools, hospitals, and roads. Lots of roads. And this year's plans are calling for even more investment, not just from state-owned enterprises but also private companies.
Many in the West are critical of China's inroads into Africa, which they view with suspicion. But dissenting voices are emerging and foremost among them is Professor Deborah Brautigam, author of the book, The Dragon's Gift. BON's Tom Spender caught up with her in Beijing.
The Chinese investment boom in Africa has attracted praise and criticism. With China's thirst for natural resources and Africa's need for infrastructure and aid, a growing symbiotic relationship is forming. China's insists on a hands-off approach when it comes to other countries' domestic issues, intending to remain neutral, but in a region rife with conflict, can this be the case?
After a period where tensions across the Straits of Taiwan ran high, relations between the island and the Mainland have warmed up in recent years, owing primarily to a change in leadership in Taipei. The recent signing of a trade agreement significantly lowering barriers to trade has brought the two closer than they've been in generations. But where do relations stand on a person to person level? BON'S MATT SCHRADER recently took a look at an event that's supposed to help do for cultural relations what trade agreements are doing for economic relations.