The role of the China Africa Development Fund in China's Africa policy

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:China and Africa's increased interaction over the past decade has receivedattention from the media, academics, economists and politicians alike. Therise of China as a potential world economic power has sparked both concernand suspicion. Concern over China's impact in African states has been voicedby Western and African leaders. The Chinese economy has experiencedrobust growth since embarking on ambitious reforms to open up its economyto outside investment and trade, as well as policies geared towardsencouraging Chinese enterprises to go abroad. China's rise in importance inthe international arena has led to increased scrutiny of its foreign policies andinternal policies. In order to gain a balanced view of China's engagement inAfrican states it is necessary to examine the various components of theirinvolvement.This thesis has chosen to focus on CADFund as its main unit of analysis, andhas illustrated that the Fund fulfils both a political and economic role inChina's relations with Africa. This study will explore the political andeconomic motivations behind China's interest in Africa. Conclusions aredrawn from the structural organisation, investment approaches and projects ofCADFund. The way in which CADFund fits into China‟s Africa policy will bedetermined by looking at the Fund's activities and how they fit into theprinciples set out in China's Africa Policy.The main question posed by this study was regarding the role whichCADFund plays in China's Africa Policy. The mandate of the Fund is toprovide funding and advisory and support services to Chinese enterpriseswishing to invest in African states. With 60 completed projects to date, theFund has arguably indeed helped to progress the Chinese government's goalof encouraging Chinese enterprises to invest in Africa.Recommendations for future research are encouraged in order to build on thisspecific field. For example, more extensive research could be pursuedconcerning CADFund linkages with the Chinese government. Together with this, questions regarding the perceived effectiveness of CADFund could alsobe addressed – specifically by investigating how projects are managed andmonitored by CADFund. In these follow-up explorations, theoreticalframeworks such as the 'principle-agent theory could also be incorporated asframeworks with which to view CADFund‟s relationship with the Chinesegovernment.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University