China as Development Aid Actor in Africa

Oxford University's China Africa Network (OUCAN) hosted a symposium on 14 March 2012 titled "China as a Development Aid Actor: Rethinking Development Assistance and its Implications for Africa and the West."

Harry Verhoeven and Marian Urbina-Ferretjans wrote a summary symposium report that noted several speakers and participants expressed doubts about the existence of a Chinese development model. Chinese speakers at the symposium highlighted the pragmatic nature of China's foreign policy and its learning by doing approach to development. There was an intense debate around the political implications of China's "Go-Out" strategy. While Chinese speakers stressed the continued importance of sovereignty, non-interference and multipolarism, more skeptical voices questioned China's ostensibly "apolitical" operations in Africa.

Richard Schiere, an economist at the African Development Bank, presented a power point titled China and Africa: An Emerging Partnership for Development?