One-Way Traffic or Highway to Mutual Benefit? Part 1: China and Africa in the Era of Mao Zedong

The period since the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched its new Africa policy in January 2006 has not only been the period of the most intense diplomatic interaction ever between the emerging Asian giant and the African continent, but also a period in which the two-way trade between China and Africa has continued to increase at an amazing rate. In this article the development of China-Africa relations during the reign of Mao Zedong from 1949 to 1976 (the so-called ‘first wave’ of China-Africa relations) is investigated from a historical perspective. There is no doubt, when one studies the trends, patterns, continuities and discontinuities in China-Africa relations, that a solid foundation on which these relations could be built, was laid in the Mao era. To put the current relations between China and Africa in their proper historical and international relations context, it is therefore necessary to study their beginnings under Mao's leadership.

The Chinese emphasised the mutual benefits of a seemingly unequal relationship. African benefits were tangible. Projects such as the Tanzam railway brought considerable material advantages to the continent. Chinese benefits were more intangible and indirect. African friendship helped China to attain political goals. As the region of “greatest secondary importance” Africa played a major supporting role in the PRC's foreign policy (Hutchison, 1975: 4, 278, 282). Africa had come to play a crucial role in China's fight against “American imperialism” and “Soviet revisionism” and her bid for international legitimacy and power.