Africa-China Relations: Neocolonialism or Strategic Partnership

In the last one decade, the world has witnessed the emergence of China as a global power. As a consequence of its rapid economic development as the second largest in the world today, and of its growing role in the global geo-political arena, there are heated debates on the kind of development path and foreign policy that China is pursuing, and its implications on the rest of the world, including Africa. Along this development, the Africa-China long standing traditional relations have entered into a new historical landmark since the end of the Cold War. The challenges and favorable developments that have taken shape on the international scene as well as in Africa and China have provided fertile ground for the relations between the two sides to assume a dramatic phenomenon of transformation in the realm of economic development particularly since 2000. For the continent of Africa, which has been struggling to come out of the marginalization of global economy, and mired in multiple challenges of development, it has been a momentum of opportune to able to see hope at the end of the tunnel.