Why are African Countries interested in Chinese Development Finance? Evidence from contemporary Kenya

Oscar M. Otele, Oita Etyang

Abstract


In response to China’s renewed engagement in Africa, the existing literature on “China-Africa relations” conflates African interests in Chinese development finance with other drivers of engagement like trade and investments. As such the literature points out solidarity; diversification of economic partners, regime stability, strategic partnership and exemplar for development experience as some of the motivations behind African interests in Chinese development finance. However, these themes tend to generalize all African states as a monolithic entity despite the diversity on the continent reflected in the geo-politics of individual states, thus obfuscating specific reasons some countries are interested in Chinese development finance. To ameliorate this deficit in the literature, this article seeks to understand why successive governments in Kenya since 2003 preferred Chinese development finance. It was established that “noninterference”, “no-strings attached’’, Kenya’s quest to diversify her external sources of foreign aid, the mutual conception of developmental aspiration and “few” bureaucratic procedures are some of the reasons why Kenya is interested in Chinese development finance.

Keywords: Africa, China, Kenya, development, finance

 

Oscar M. Otele, Lecturer, University of Nairobi; Email: otele@uonbi.ac.ke
Oita Etyang, PhD candidate, University of Johannesburg; Email: reinnyetyang@gmail.com


Full Text:

PDF

References


Alden, C. 2005. ‘’China in Africa’’, Survival, 47(3).

Alden, C. 2007. China in Africa: African Arguments, London: Zed Books.

Alves, A. 2013. “China’s ‘Win-Win’ cooperation: Unpacking the impact of infrastructure for resources deals in Africa”, South African Journal of International Affairs, 20 (2).

Amin, S. 2006. “What Maoism has contributed?” An essay prepared for the conference “The Fortieth Anniversary: Rethinking the Genealogy and Legacy of the Cultural Revolution.” Hong Kong, 9-10 June. http:// monthlyreview.org/commentary/what-maoism-has contributed/.Accessed. 16.07.2018.

Andersen, M. and Taylor, H. 2007. Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Brautigam, D. 2009. The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.

Chege, M. 2008. “Economic Relations between Kenya and China, 1963– 2007”, in J. Cook .ed. US and Chinese engagement in Africa: Prospects for improving US-China cooperation, Washington: Centre for Strategic International Studies.

Cheru, F. 2016. “Emerging southern powers and new forms of South-South cooperation: Ethiopia’s strategic engagement with China and India”, Third World Quarterly, 37(4).

Chidaushe, M. 2007. “China’s grand re-entrance into Africa-mirage or oasis?’’, in Firoze, M and Stephen, M. eds. African perspectives on China in Africa, Nairobi: Fahamu.

Clapham, C. 1996. Africa and the International System: The Politics of State Survival, Cambridge New York: University Press.

Corkin, L. 2013. Uncovering Africa Agency: Angola’s Management of China’s Credit Lines, Ashgate: Farmham.

Corkin, L. 2011. Uncovering Agency: Angola’s Management of Relations with China. PhD Thesis, School of Oriental and African Studies.

Daily Nation (26.6.2017). “Jimi Wanjigi: Kenya’s most feared oligarch”, https://www.nation.co.ke/news/State-capture--Kenya-s-mostfeared-oligarch/1056-3987356-dek8hy/index.html

Dreher, A., A. Fuchs, R. Hodler, C. Parks, A.P. Raschky and J. M. Tierney, 2014. “Aid on demand: African leaders and the geography of China’s foreign assistance”, Working, No. 3.

Fourie, E. 2015. “China’s example for Meles’ Ethiopia: When development ‘Models’ land”, The of Modern African Studies, 53(3):289-316.

Fourie, E. 2014. “Students: Policy emulation, modernization and Kenya’s vision 2030”, African Affairs, 113/453, 540–562.

Gainer, M. 2015. “Planning transformation in a divided nation: creating Kenya Vision 2030, 2005-2009”, Innovations for Successful Societies, Princeton University.

Gore, C. 2013. “The new development cooperation landscape: Actors, approaches and architectures”, Journal of International Development, 25(6).

Heap, C. 2008.Globalization and Summit Reform: An Experiment in International Governance, New York: Springer.

Heiss, S and R. Aidoo. 2010. “Beyond the rhetoric: Non-interference in China’s African policy”, African and Asian Studies, 9:356-383.

Horta, L. 2009. “China and Africa”, Asia Sentinel, (20 November), available at:http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option1/4com_content &task1/4view&id1/42154&2154&itemid1/4422, accessed: 3.12.2018.

Kurki, M. 2007. “Critical realism and causal analysis in International Relations”, Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 35(2).

Li, A. 2007. “China and Africa: Policy and challenges”, China Security, 3 (3).

McCormick, D. 2008. “China and India as Africa’s new donors: The impact of aid on development”, Review of African Political Economy”, 35(115).

Mihanfo, E. P. 2012. “Understanding China’s neo-colonialism in Africa: A historical study of China-Africa economic relations”, in J. Shikwati. ed. China-Africa partnership: The quest for a win-win relationship. Nairobi: IREN.

Mlambo, V. 2019. “Exploitation dressed in a suit, shining shoes, and carrying a suitcase full of dollars: What does China want in Africa?”,Journal of Public Affairs, 19. 1892.

Moyo, D. 2009. Dead Aid: Why Aid is not working and how there is a better way for Africa, London: Allen Lane.

Moyo, S. 2016. “Perspectives on South-South relations: China’s presence in Africa”, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 17(1).

Muekalia, D. 2004. “Africa and China’s strategic partnership”, African Security Review, 13(1).

Okolo, A. 2015. “China's Foreign Policy Shift in Africa: From NonInterference to Preponderance”, International Journal of African Renaissance Studies, Multi-, Inter-and Transdisciplinarity, 10(2):3247.

Power, M. 2012. “Angola 2025. The future of the ‘world’s richest poor country’ as seen through a Chinese rear- view mirror”, Antipode, 44(3).

Prizzon, A and T. Hart. 2016. Age of Choice: Kenya in the new development finance landscape, London: Overseas Development Institute.

Republic of Kenya. 2008. Kenya Vision 2030: the popular version, Nairobi: Vision 2030 Secretariat.

Rotberg, R. 2008. “China’s quest for resources, opportunities, and influence in Africa”, in R. Rotberg. ed. China into Africa: Trade, aid and influence. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press.

Sun, Y. 2015. “Africa in focus ‘Xi and the 6th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation: major commitments, but with questions”

The National Treasury, 2014. Nairobi. The Treasury

Verhoeven, H. 2014. “Is Beijing's non-Interference Policy History? How Africa is changing China”, The Washington Quarterly, 37:2, 55-70.

Xinhua News Agency 2003. “Unknown” http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/china.htm

Zafar, A. 2007. “The growing relationship between China and Sub-Saharan Africa: macroeconomic and Sub-Saharan Africa: macroeconomic, trade, investment, and aid links”, The World Bank Research Observer 22(1).

Zeleza, T.P. 2008. “Dancing with dragon: Africa’s courtship with China”, The Global South, 2(2).


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


 [ISSN 0856-0056 (Print) & ISSN 1821-889X (Online)]