Answer to Question #243995 in History for NEO

Question

Examine China-Africa relations since c. 1956, focusing in particular on how China’s foreign policy

towards the African continent became more economic after the end of the Cold War.

Answer 1

Answer

As Teobaldo Filesi, a western historian put it in his publication China and Africa in the Middle Ages (published in 1972), the visits paid by the Chinese fleet asserted that the Chinese were not invaders, and they did not commit their ideas upon others. After these excursions, envoys from a number of African countries also visited China.

China and Africa shared similar experiences in modern and contemporary history, both having suffered from invasion, plunder and captivity by colonialists. Therefore, the Chinese people and the people of Africa have all along given sympathy and support to each other in their struggles against colonialism and for national independence and liberation. A profound friendship has thus been cemented. The birth of new China in 1949 opened up a new chapter in Sino-African relations. Since 1950s and 1960s, a great number of newly independent African countries have established diplomatic relations with China, and Sino-African relationship has ushered into a new era of all-round development.

Furthermore, The friendship between China and Africa was jointly forged and nurtured by leaders of the older generation of China and Africa in the course of long-term mutual sympathy, understanding, help and support. In the past half century, under the care of the leaders of several generations from both sides, this friendship has remained unchanged and our cooperation has further deepened despite fluctuations in the international situation and the tremendous changes in our respective countries. Since 1950s, the Chinese government and people have shown deep sympathy and given firm moral and material support to the African people in their struggles to win and maintain national independence, have actively voiced their support to the just cause of their brothers in Africa, and have trained large numbers of personnel for Africa who later became the mainstay in the struggle for national independence. Some of them continued to play an important role in domestic and international arena after independence.