The Sino-African relationship: evolution and potential for African development through space activities
- Paper number
IAC-11,E3,1,13,x10752
- Author
Mrs. Aurélie Trur-Nicli, France
- Year
2011
- Abstract
Since the end of the Cold war, new players have emerged from the process of globalization, slowly reshaping international politics. Regional powers progressively asserted themselves in what has become a multi-polar and globalized world dominated by new paradigms. In parallel, the explosion of natural and man-made disasters spurred global warning, energy and sustainability concerns to rise across the planet, urging nations to rethink their strategies and leaving room for new partnerships and commercial activities. Africa currently entails the most developing nations. The continent is making progress in its evolution towards becoming a regional and coherent entity. The African Union’s voice is beginning to gain more weight at various tables of negotiations, be it for dealing with internal matters or for issues involving the continent in relation to international partners. China, the largest developing country, has been seeking to regain its global preeminence for a few decades and is rapidly making its way towards a superpower status. Bilateral-relations between China and various African nations date back to the 1950s and have been pulled in various directions according to the transformations occurring on the international scene. Last year’s celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and of the twentieth anniversary of the World Economic Forum on Africa highlighted a new momentum in this cooperation, increasingly viewing strategic fields such as science and technology as a key player for African development. This paper will address the evolution of the Sino-African relationship from a political as well as from an economical point of view, outlining the progress made towards the development of Africa and upcoming opportunities, particularly with regards to space activities.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)