Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T10:37:17.789Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sino-Cameroon Relations: A Foreign Policy of Pragmatism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2015

Julius A. Amin
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

Based on primary sources, including documents obtained from Cameroon’s Ministry of External Relations, oral interviews conducted in Cameroon, and local newspapers, and a variety of secondary sources, this article examines Cameroon’s foreign policy and economic relations with China. It argues that Cameroon’s engagement with China has resulted in short-term benefits for consumers but undermined long-term, sustainable economic development. The article concludes that unless China genuinely pursues its promised policies of “mutual respect” and “win–win gain,” voices of protest will only grow louder in Cameroon and other African nations.

Résumé:

Cet article qui examine la politique étrangère du Cameroun et ses relations économiques avec la Chine se base sur des sources primaires, y compris des documents provenant du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères du Cameroun, des entrevues orales menées au Cameroun, des journaux locaux, et une variété de sources secondaires. Il fait valoir que l’engagement du Cameroun avec la Chine a entraîné des avantages à court terme pour les consommateurs, mais a miné à long terme le développement économique durable. L’article conclut que à moins que la Chine ne poursuive véritablement ses politiques promises de “respect mutuel” et de “gain gagnant-gagnant,” des voix de protestation ne feront que s’accroître au Cameroun et dans d’autres pays africains.

Keywords

ChinaCameroonAhmadou AhidjoPaul BiyaBeijing ConsensusWashington Consensus
Type
ARTICLES
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 58 , Issue 3 , December 2015 , pp. 171 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adem, Seifudein. 2010. “The Paradox of China’s Policy in Africa.” African and Asian Studies 9: 334–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
African Labour Research Network (ALRN). 2009. Chinese Investments in Africa: Opportunity or Threat for Workers? Ghana: ALRN. http://worldlabour.org.Google Scholar
African Forum and Network on Debt and Development. 2011. “Mapping Chinese Development Assistance in Africa: An Analysis of the Experience of Cameroon.”http://www.afrodad.org.Google Scholar
Alden, Chris, et al, eds. 2008. China Returns to Africa: A Rising Power and a Continent Embrace. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Alessi, Chirstopher, and Hanson, Stephanie. 2012. “Expanding China–Africa Oil Ties.” Council of Foreign Relations, February 8. http://www.cfr.org.Google Scholar
Amin, Julius A. 1992. The Peace Corps in Cameroon. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press.Google Scholar
Amin, Julius A. 2013. “Cameroonian Youths and the Protest of February 2008.” Cahiers d’Etudes Africaines 53 (211): 677–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anshan, Li. 2010. “African Studies in China: A Historiographical Survey.” In Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa, edited by Harneit-Sievers, Alexet al, 2–24. Kampala, Uganda: Pambazuka Press.Google Scholar
Askouri, Ali. 2007. “China’s Investment in Sudan: Displacing Villages and Destroying Communities.” In African Perspectives on China in Africa, edited by Manyi, Firoze and Marks, Stephen, 71–86. Nairobi: Fahamu.Google Scholar
Bodomo, Adams B., and Ma, Grace. 2010. “From Guangzhou to Yiwu: Emerging Facets of the African Diaspora in China. International Journal of African Renaissance Studies 5 (2): 283–89.Google Scholar
Brautigaum, Deborah. 1998. Chinese Aid and African Development: Exporting Green Revolution. New York: St. Martin’s Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brautigaum, Deborah. 2009. The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Brautigam, Deborah, and Xiaoyang, Tang. 2011. “African Shenzhen: China’s Special Economic Zones in Africa.” Journal of Modern African Studies 49 (1): 27–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cameroon Ministry of External Relations. “Memorandum, Cameroon–China Relations, 1975–2012.” Yaoundé: Cameroon Ministry of External Relations.Google Scholar
Cameroon Tribune. 2011a. “Cameroon and China Set Higher Goals.” July 22.Google Scholar
Cameroon Tribune. 2011b. “China Remains Reliable, Faithful Partner.” July 21.Google Scholar
Cameroon Tribune. 2011c. “Address by the Head of State Meeting with the African Diplomatic Corps in the People’s Republic of China, Beijing.” July 21.Google Scholar
Campbell, Horace. 2008. “China in Africa: Challenging US Global Hegemony.” Third World Quarterly 29 (1): 89–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cao, Qing. 2013. “From Revolution to Business: China’s Changing Discourses on Africa.” In The Morality of China in Africa: The Middle Kingdom and the Dark Continent, edited by Chan, Stephen, 60–69. New York: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Charlier, Florence, and N’Cho-Oguie, Charles. 2009. Sustaining Reform for Inclusive Growth in Cameroon: A Development Policy Review. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheng, Yinghong. 2011. “From Campus Racism to Cyber Racism: Discourse of Race and Chinese Nationalism.” The China Quarterly 207: 561–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chidaushe, Moreblessings. 2007. “China’s Grand Re-entrance into Africa: Mirage or Oasis?” In African Perspectives on China in Africa, edited by Manji, Firoze and Marks, Stephen, 107–18. Nairobi: Fahamu.Google Scholar
Chimton, Ngala K. 2012. “Cameroon–China Wedding: A Wedding with Uncertain Prospects.” Inter Press Service. www.ipsnews.net.Google Scholar
China Daily. 2007. “China–Cameroon Cooperation Posts Steady Growth.” September 27. www.chinadaily.com.cn.Google Scholar
Cooley, John K. 1965. East Wind over Africa: Red China’s African Offensive. New York: Walker and Company.Google Scholar
Deutchoua, Xavier Luc. 2007. “Immigration: 700,000 Chinois aux portes du Cameroun.” Mutations (Yaoundé), March 2.Google Scholar
Esteban, Mario. 2010. “A Silent Invasion? African Views on the Growing Chinese Presence in Africa: The Case of Equatorial Guinea.” African and Asian Studies 9: 232–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eyene, Charles Ateba. 2012. Émergence Du Cameroun a L’Horizon 2005 L’Apport de la Chine: La Coopération du Developpement, ses success et ses craintes. Yaounde, Cameroon: Editions Saint-Paul.Google Scholar
Fromkin, David. 1970. “Entangling Alliances. Foreign Affairs, July.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gabriel, Jürg Martin. 1999. “Cameroon’s Neopatrimonial Dilemma.” Journal of Contemporary African Studies 17 (2): 173–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gamora, Gedion, and Mathews, K.. 2010. “Ethio-China’s Relations: Challenges and Prospects.” In Chinese African Perspectives, edited by Harneit-Sievers, Axelet al, 92–107. Nairobi: Pambazuka Press.Google Scholar
Harneit-Sievers, Axel, Marks, Stephen, and Naidu, Sanusha, eds. 2010. Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa. Kampala, Uganda: Pambazuka Press.Google Scholar
Hevi, Emmanuel John. 1966. The Dragon’s Embrace: The Chinese Communists and Africa. New York: Frederick A. Praeger.Google Scholar
Hickey, Dennis, and Guo, Baogang, eds. 2010. Dancing with the Dragon: China’s Emergence in the Developing World. New York: Lexington Books.Google Scholar
Huynh, Tu T. 2010. “Faces of China: New Chinese Migrants in South Africa, 1980s to Present.” African and Asian Studies 9: 286–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ikhuoria, Edwin. 2010. “The Impact of Chinese Imports on Nigerian Traders.” In Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa, edited by Harneit-Sievers, Axelet al, 128–38. Kampala, Uganda: Fountain Publishers.Google Scholar
Kamau, Paul. 2010. “China’s Impact on Kenya’s Clothing Industry,” In Chinese African Perspectives on China in Africa, edited by Harneit-Stivers, Axelet al, 108–27. Kampala, Uganda: Pambazuka Press.Google Scholar
Karumbidza, John Blessing. 2007. “Win–Win Economic Cooperation: Can China Save Zimbabwe’s Economy?” In African Perspectives on China in Africa, edited by Manji, Firoze and Marks, Stephen, 87–106. Nairobi: Pambazuka Press.Google Scholar
Khan, A. Sunday, and Baye, Francis Menjo. 2008. “China–Africa Economic Relations: The Case of Cameroon.” Report Submitted to the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), March.Google Scholar
Konings, Piet. 2011. The Politics of Neoliberal Reforms in Africa: State and Civil Society in Cameroon. Bamenda, Cameroon: Langaa RPCIG.Google Scholar
Large, Daniel. 2008. “Beyond ‘Dragon in the Bush’: The Study of China–Africa Relations.” African Affairs 107 (476): 45–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larkin, Bruce D. 1971. China and Africa, 1949–1970: The Foreign Policy of the People’s Republic of China. Los Angeles: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Le Vine, Victor T. 2003. “Ahmadou Ahidjo Revisited.” In Cameroon: Politics and Society in Critical Perspectives, edited by Gros, Jean-Germain, 33–61. Laham, Md.: University Press of America.Google Scholar
Manji, Fironze, and Marks, Stephen, eds. 2007. African Perspectives on China in Africa. Nairobi: Fahamu.Google Scholar
Mazimhaka, Patrick. 2013. “China and Africa: An African View.” In The Morality of China in Africa: The Middle Kingdom and the Dark Continent, edited by Chan, Stephen, 89–121. New York: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Mbori, Loveline. 2005. “Chinese Doughnuts Producers Perturb Bamileke Traders.” July 25. www.postnewsline.com.Google Scholar
Men, Jing. 2010. “China and Africa: Old Friends, New Partners.” In Dancing with the Dragon: China’s Emergence in the Developing World, edited by Hickey, Dennis and Guo, Baogang. New York: Lexington Books.Google Scholar
Michel, Serge, and Beuret, Michel. 2009. China’s Safari: On the Trail of Beijing’s Expansion in Africa. Translated by Valley, Raymond. New York: Nation Books.Google Scholar
Mohan, Giles, and Lampert, Ben. 2013. “Negotiating China: Reinserting African Agency into China–Africa Relations.” African Affairs 112 (446): 92–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monson, Jamie. 2013. “Remembering Work on the Tazara Railway in Africa, 1965–2011: When ‘New Men’ Grow Old.” African Studies Review 56 (1): 45–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monson, Jamie, and Rupp, Stephanie. 2013. “ASR Forum on Africa and China—Africa and China: New Engagements, New Research.” African Studies Review 56 (1): 21–44.Google Scholar
Ndjio, Basile. 2009. “Shanghai Beauties’ and African Desires: Migration, Trade and Chinese Prostitution in Cameroon.” European Journal of Development Research 21: 606–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ndjio, Basile. 2014. “Magic Body’ and ‘Cursed Sex’: Chinese Sex Workers as ‘Bitch-Witches’ in Cameroon.” African Affairs 113 (452): 370–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ogunsanwo, Alaba. 1974. China’s Policy in Africa, 1958–1971. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Peking Review. 1977a. “President Ahidjo Visits China.” Peking Review 20 (42): 3–4. www.marxists.org.Google Scholar
Peking Review. 1977b. “At the Banquet in Honour of President Ahidjo: Vice-Premier Li-Hsien-nien’s Speech (Excerpt).” Peking Review 20 (42): 14–15. www.marxists.org.Google Scholar
Peking Review. 1977c. “At the Banquet in Honour of President Ahidjo: “President Ahidjo’s Speech (Excerpt).” Peking Review 20 (42): 15–16. www.marxists.org.Google Scholar
Park, Yoon Jung. 2013. “Perceptions of Chinese in Southern Africa: Constructions of the ‘Other’ and the Role of Memory.” African Studies Review 56 (1): 131–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, Matthew. 2011. “A Cameroonian Journalist, Abused and Disabused in China.” The Epoch Times, March 19. www.theepochtimes.com.Google Scholar
Rupp, Stephanie. 2008. “Africa and China: Engaging Post-colonial Interdependencies.” In China into Africa: Trade, Aid, and Influence, edited by Rotberg, Robert I., 65–86. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.Google Scholar
Rupp, Stephanie. 2013. “Ghana, China, and the Politics of Energy.” African Studies Review 56 (1): 103–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sautman, Barry. 1994. “Anti-Black Racism in Post-Mao China.” China Quarterly 138: 413–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sautman, Barry, and Hairong, Yan. 2008. “The Forest for the Trees: Trade, Investment and the China-in-Africa Discourse.” Pacific Affairs 81 (1): 9–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shih, Shu-Mei. 2013. “Race and Revolution: Blackness in China’s Long Twentieth Century.” PMLA 128 (1): 156–62.Google Scholar
Shinn, David H. 2008. “Military and Security Relations: China, Africa, and the Rest of the World.” In China into Africa: Trade, Aid, and Influence, edited by Rotberg, Robert L.. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.Google Scholar
Shinn, David H., and Eisenman, Joshua. 2012. China and Africa: A Century of Engagement. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.Google Scholar
Sinou, David. 1985 “Les Relations Economiques Sino-Camerounaises (1960–1984): Memoire Presente et Soutenu Publiquement en vue de L’obtention de la Maitresse en Relations Internationales (IRIC).” Yaoundé, June.Google Scholar
Strauss, Julia C., and Saavedra, Martha, eds. 2009. China and Africa: Emerging Patterns in Globalization and Development. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sun, Yun, and Rettig, Michael. 2014. “African and Chinese Trade with Africa: Rhetoric vs. Reality.” The Hill, August 5. http://thehill.com.Google Scholar
Taylor, Ian. 1988. “China’s Foreign Policy towards Africa in the 1990s.” Journal of Modern African Studies 36 (3): 443–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, Ian. 2008. “Sino–African Relations and the Problem of Human Rights.” African Affairs 107: 63–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tull, Denis. 2006. “China’s Engagement in Africa: Scope, Significance and Consequences.” Journal of Modern African Studies 44 (3): 459–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waldron, Arthur. 2009. China in Africa: A Compendium of Articles from the Jamestown Foundation’s China Brief. Washington, D.C.: The Jamestown Foundation.Google Scholar
Weigart, Stephen L. 1996. Traditional Religion and Guerrilla Warfare in Modern Africa. New York: St. Martin’s Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar