China's engagement in Africa has been controversial. Some see China's involvement as the actions of an "imperial power" practicing "virtual colonialism." But Babette Zoumara, a Ph.D candidate at the College of South East Asian Studies, Xiamen University, writes in an article that China's partnerships with African nations are based on sincere friendship, equality and mutual respect for national sovereignty. Excerpts of the article follow:

Contrary to the claims of critics, China's partnerships with African nations are based on sincere friendship, equality and mutual respect for national sovereignty. This is demonstrated through non-interference in domestic affairs and loans and grants.

The emergence of China on the global economic stage has received much attention, perhaps more than any emerging economy the world has seen, for several reasons. The sudden and astronomical increase of Chinese outbound FDI (UNCTAD 2009) and the nature of these FDI are compelling topics. This is especially true as this surge in FDI defies all traditional principles governing FDI, particularly the FDI aimed at Africa. The continent has an enormous supply of raw materials, enough to capture the attention of any industrialized nation, and China is no exception. Africa has about 99 percent of the world's chrome, 85 percent of its platinum, 68 percent of its cobalt, 54 percent of its gold and a large number of other precious minerals. As a result, the industrialized world's focus on Africa has been such that any investigation into the continent by a potential investor attracts attention and suspicion. Consequently, there has recently been much debate about China-Africa relations; specifically, the increasing role of China in the socio-economic affairs of Africa.

These debates usually revolve around two main issues: the motives behind the rapid growth of Chinese investments in Africa, and the implications for Africa's sustainable development. Critics attribute the growing relationship to China's "hunger" for raw materials to feed its booming economy. They see China's involvement in Africa as the actions of an "imperial power" practicing "virtual colonialism." They express concern regarding China's neutrality in the face of the actions of perceived dictators in Africa, and criticize Beijing for not pushing for regime change in certain nations like Sudan. These skeptics warn that China is not a reliable partner and predict that it will abandon Africa as soon as its needs are met.

Critics acknowledge that China's role in infrastructure and industrial development, as well as the cancellation of African debt, is undeniably commendable. Yet, they are also quick to caution that China is not a philanthropist, but rather maneuvering to woo and buy African "good will." They also argue that the aid China offers is too little to address Africa's developmental needs, and that this aid only goes to nations with natural resources. Critics accuse China of grabbing "huge" supplies of natural resources while dumping cheap manufactured products in Africa, emphasizing that the only motive for Chinese activities in Africa is to serve the Asian nation's own national interests. They further argue that, by pursuing and practicing a policy of non-interference, China is indirectly destroying the hope for democracy in Africa, which will eventually lead to massive corruption and human rights violations, among other woes.

However, proponents are optimistic about the relationship; they consider China a reliable partner for Africa, citing the numerous visits by Chinese leaders to Africa as assurance that China values its relationships with African nations. Another fact they point to is that China continues to contribute to the development of African countries through grants and aid projects. They argue that China has never claimed to be a philanthropist and that it has repeatedly stated that its aid to Africa is not charity, but based on mutual respect and benefit. They also point out that, by granting unconditional, incredibly low-interest loans and canceling the debts of African nations, China has given Africa a rare opportunity, and the needed revenue to plan and execute developmental programs on its own terms. They cite the export restrictions imposed by China on Chinese textiles sold to South Africa, and China's public criticism of its enterprises' labor practices during Zambian workers' riots, as signs that China is listening and a trustworthy ally and partner.

On the issue of Darfur, China's supporters point out that then Chinese President Hu Jintao once chided his Sudanese counterpart (in 2007) for the atrocities that were occurring. They say this indicates that China did not, and does not support violence in the region, and add that China could not have done more, as that would require interfering directly in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, which would run counter to China's own foreign policy. They conclude that the relationship between China and Africa has been mutually beneficial; especially in terms of infrastructure development, an area in which even critics agree that China has helped Africa.

China, like any nation, pursues policies (foreign, domestic, trade, investment) based on its national interests, and should not be criticized for doing so. Besides, in spite of all the media (mostly Western) hype, available data show that, as of 2008, China has primarily invested in the continent's service sector (38.8 percent ) followed by its finance sector (25.1 percent), its retail sector (25.7 per cent) and its mining sector (10.4 percent).

Africa has had relationships with Western nations for almost half a century, but little is said about these nations' motives for engaging with Africa. Western nations have benefited enormously from Africa's raw materials, just as China is beginning to do. Western trade and economic embargos, sanctions, unfulfilled financial commitments, advocacy for regime changes and sadly, difficult and strict lending conditions are imposed on Africa under the guise of spreading democracy, accountability, good governance and structural adjustment programs. But China's partnership is based on sincere friendship, equality and mutual respect, and respect for the sovereignty of African nations. This is shown through non-interference in domestic affairs and the offer of loans and grants without "crippling and killing" conditions. Ironically, the international community, while attacking China for its strategy in Africa, is pushing China to lend to Africa with conditions. One wonders why, especially as it has become clear that Africa cannot develop under such restrictions.

China's relationships with African nations will have implications for Africa's sustainable development. China's strategy for dealing with Africa offers African governments badly-needed revenue to prioritize and implement important projects to promote accelerated and sustained socio-economic development. But the primary burden to advance development lies on African leaders, who must conceive and execute pragmatic projects, and direct Chinese investments and aid into sectors that will yield maximum benefits and positively impact the lives of African people. For instance, a lot of empirical analyses have shown a positive correlation between higher education and socio-economic development. African leaders could push for more scholarships for African students to pursue higher education in China. They could advocate for grants to build new universities in their own countries and to equip the existing ones with state-of-the-art research tools and materials. This would bring not only growth but also sustained development in Africa.