The Economic and Strategic Impact of China’s Rising Influence in Africa: A case Study in Nigeria and Zambia

The rapidly increasing level of engagement between China and African states have attracted considerable scholarly attention and debates. Two distinct camps have formed around these debates, namely: “Sino-Optimism” and “Sino-Pessimism”. For Sino-optimists, China’s interest in Africa is potentially good for the continent and holds the potential of transforming Africa economically and technologically. For Sino Pessimists on the other hand, the opposite is the case as they believe that the relationship is dangerous for the international system. This point is often exemplified by pointing out China’s willingness to protect autocratic leaders in Africa by providing loans without incentives such as democratization and respect for human rights. At the heart of the debates between these schools of thought have been two fundamental issues. Firstly, scholars have considered the extent to which China’s influence have impacted African economies directly. Secondly, some have asserted that the nature of the relationship potentially exposes African states to a neo imperialistic dependency on China which essentially gives China economic and political dominion over the states. By Examining Nigeria and Zambia, two uniquely different states which have significantly different relationships with China, this thesis explores these two fundamental issues, exploring the history and strategic importance of the Sino-African relationship, as well as examining the relevant economic data. The research finds conclusive evidence of China’s positive effect on African economies via foreign Direct Investments (FDI) as well as infrastructure development projects. It also concludes that a neo-imperialistic dependency begins to emerge between some African States such as Zambia and the People’s Republic of China, this is evidenced by a governmental dependence on Chinese foreign aid as well as piling national debts owed by African states to China. Keywords: Sino-Optimism, Sino-Pessimism, Democratization, Neo-imperialism, Foreign Aid, National Debt, Foreign Direct Investment