Africa and the Ascendancy of Modern China in International System since 1971: A Historical Appraisal

Abstract

Changes in the 21^st century global distribution of economic and political powers clearly suggest that the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC or China) can no longer be ignored, having emerged as a superpower of substantial significance. Attempts to understand this phenomenon have produced several literatures most of which have often relegated Africa to the margins in spite of the continent’s key contributions to China’s contemporary international profile. This paper historicizes Africa’s socio-cultural and diplomatic capitals as indispensable factors in understanding the phenomenal rise of China within the international system. Based on the research findings, the paper holds that but for the strategic support of many African countries, the rise of China in the international system may have been delayed or frustrated by the West in its attempt to preserve its hegemony in the hitherto prevailing world order.

Keywords: Africa, modern China, international system, diplomacy