China’s responsibility for Africa’s development

Sven Grimm, the director of the Center for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, published in June 2011 an analysis titled “China as Africa’s Ambiguous Ally—Why China Has a Responsibility for Africa’s Development” (PDF).

Grimm offers an overview of what is known about the effects of Chinese engagement in Africa and explores the state of the debate on direct and indirect effects of China’s global rise on African states.

He identifies areas of responsibility for China and for African governments and sheds light on the policy requirements for African states in their engagement with China. The premise of his analysis is the inequality in the economic and political weight between China and Africa collectively, which gives rise to China’s responsibility to assist African development.