Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Historical Narratives as a Tool in China's Africa Policy

International Politics published in 2017 a study titled "The Chinese Story: Historical Narratives as a Tool in China's Africa Policy" by Bjornar Sverdrup-Thygeson, London School of Economics.

The study argues that Beijing is propagating a range of historical narratives about African history and the Sino-African relationship. It finds that this Chinese history of Africa represents China's recent actions in Africa as incarnations of a long historical tradition of friendship and anti-colonial support, thus serving to legitimize Chinese policies as well as delegitimizing Western powers' economic and political strategies.