The impact of China on sub-Saharan Africa
Date
2007Author
Kaplinsky, R
McCormick, D
Morris, M
Type
BookLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This paper focuses on the rapidly-growing links between China and SSA. The
spo
tligh
t
is pl
aced on three vectors of interaction – trade, foreign investment and
aid. Chinese involvement in Africa is driven predominantly by the quest for material
input
s
(oil and o
ther
primar
y
c
ommodities) r
equir
ed f
or
its infrastructural invest
ment
s
and booming manuf
ac
t
uring sec
t
or. At least in the early years of this involve-
ment, there appears to be close coordination between Chinese involvement in
these three related vectors.
Chinese involvement in SSA has important policy implications for growth,
dis
t
ribution and policy
Whils
t
it h
as pr
o
vided a spur for some of SSA’s key
commodity exporting economies, its impact on manufacturing (both that destined
for domestic and export markets) has been adverse. Even some of the benefits of
the commodity price boom are ambiguous, since these are often associated with
rising exchange rates, corruption and violent conflict. Commodity-based production
also h
as adv
erse dis
t
ributional impac
ts when compared to manufacturing.
The rapid growth and significance of enhanced Chinese participation in SSA has
important implications for both future research (there are large unknowns and the
picture is changing so rapidly) and for a poverty-focused policy agenda.
Citation
Kaplinsky, R., McCormick, D., & Morris, M. (2007). The impact of China on sub-Saharan Africa. Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.Publisher
University of Nairobi, college of humanities and social sciences,