China Constructing Difference with Africa - How China portrays itself as a different partner to Africa

Persistent URL of this record https://hdl.handle.net/1887/86026

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International Relations (MA)

Westhof, Guusje Ileen (2019)

China Constructing Difference with Africa - How China portrays itself as a different partner to Africa

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

When looking at the African continent, Africa is now a socially and economically vibrant destination for foreign powers to invest in and has generated interest of traditional Western powers and of the newly emerged ‘Southern powers’ such as China. China puts great effort in differentiating themselves from other partners of African nations. China portrays itself as an ‘all-weather friend’ of Africa that strives for changing the economic world order justly in which all (developing) countries have a say. This research looks at how the Chinese government constructs its engagement in Africa as different compared to Western involvement on the African continent, and how this difference is constituted through different strategies of differentiation: historical ties, South-South mutual understanding, Soft Power and Non-conditional development cooperation.

non-conditional development cooperation

Partnership

Friendship

all-weather friend