China's economic involvement in Mozambique and prospects for development : an analysis of the processes and impacts of major recent investments

[摘要] The great intensification of China's engagement with Africa in the beginning of the 21stcentury has brought about an equally vast body of literature concerning the generalmotives and features of the engagement. The broad nature of such literature begs formore focused and localised analysis that are able to complement and inform the ongoingdebate. This thesis aims to better understand how China's policy towards Mozambiqueaffects the latter's economic development. With this objective in mind each of the fourempirical chapters provides a fresh view over some of the most salient dimensions andrecent processes related to China's involvement with Mozambique. The following isanalysed: China's trade and investment with Mozambique; the Asian power's economicinvolvement in Mozambique' agriculture sector; the participation of the China-EximBank in the Mphanda Nkuwa dam negotiation process; and finally the participation ofMozambique in the China-sponsored multilateral organisation of the Macau Forum. Themethodology used is primarily reliant on the analysis of secondary materialsupplemented by a small number of informal interviews. The core secondary materialincludes government investment agencies statistics, analysis of official documents,policies and analysis of material such as NGO reports, studies and media reports. Theanalysis corroborates the view that it mostly depends upon Mozambique's governanceactors to make China's engagement work towards its economic development and thatthere is not a static set of monolithic neo-colonial tendencies overriding China'scommitments towards the African country.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University