There are many reasons for Chinese success in Africa. But democracy could still be a trump card for rival India.
From the southern tip of their own continent and across to Latin America, Asia’s two rising and aspiring powers are set to compete for supremacy and the mantle of superpower status. But it’s in between these two points that the biggest competition between China and India is set to unfold. Forget Central Asia—Africa is the scene of the next ‘great game.’
The reason why the two will zero in on Africa is simple—both have burgeoning, resource hungry populations and rapidly growing economies. If they are to have any chance of sustained competition with developed Western economies, they will need access to the rich natural resources that Africa can provide.
China already looks to have a significant edge on its rival, with two-way trade with Africa set to top $100 billion this year, compared to about a third of that between India and Africa last year.
Beijing has, after all, been actively courting allies through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which since October 2000 has had regular summits attended by the Chinese premier and dozens of African heads of state.
And India’s response was a relative flop. It tried to follow in China’s footsteps by launching the India–Africa Forum Summit. However, at its first and only summit so far, in April 2008, only 14 African countries were represented out of a possible 53.
Part of the problem is that India’s External Affairs Ministry is still infused with what’s known in diplomatic circles as ‘Pakistani Syndrome’—an unhealthy focus among Indian diplomats at the highest echelons of government, including the national security advisor, on India’s western neighbour.
China’s African ambitions, in contrast, are not hamstrung by such regional concerns. Although the Chinese dragon is surrounded by what it sees as a sea of sharks wanting to curtail its influence in East Asia and the Pacific—namely India, Japan, Russia, the United States and Russia—it has a broad enough worldview and understanding of international relations to continue to focus on the valuable development of Africa.
Another Chinese advantage has been that many countries in Africa, including Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Namibia and Sudan, feel a sense of obligation toward China after it helped them when they were confronted with the spectre of civil war following the demise of the Soviet Union.
After a surge of attention on the continent during the Cold War, the US and Russia lost interest in spending money in Africa, leaving instability—and space for China to step in. The gaps the two big powers left that China has sought to fill were big ones, with many African nations having depended heavily on their Cold War sponsors in the 1960s and 1970s for state-building assistance after securing independence from their colonial masters. Withdrawal pulled the rug from under any prospects for stability.
Photo Credit: Uniphoto Press
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Syed
Indian delusions make good comic relief, Mr Chandramohan. I am reminded of the time when a noted Pakistani scholar said the whole of India can’t even compare with Hong Kong. Usually “rivals” is a mutual concept, but in this case I have never read of China ever considering India a possible or even imaginary rival. Indeed, why does India even compare itself with Pakisan, which has much less poverty and more dignity than India. As you point out its “obsession” with Pakistan and truculent anti-Pakistan mentality will eventually lead to India’s downfall. As long as it keeps up think malicious and backward-looking thinking, India will find itself firmly tied to South Asia or more accurately, the part of South Asia it currently occupies.
ats
Pakistan and dignity don’t make me laugh!!!! Its a failed state begging all countries for funds (US, China).
struck by insurgency,waiting for govt to collapse.
Irony_detector
> Its a failed state
so is its “democratic” rival, guess who ?
john
“India a role model for African countries for democratic governance” LOL hahahahahahahah!!! That’s the best joke I’ve heard in a while, thanks for the laugh!
Jim John
John your comments sounds more like Indian bashing then the fact. The fact is India is a developing nation and at the same time a role model for many developing nations as it has poverty but at the same time some very impressive achievements in the field of higher education, science and technology and yes federal democracy. It has never had coups and has always managed to have a peaceful transfer of power at the federal level. Its democracy is not perfect but a far cry from most African nations. Certainly better then the Chinese communist system.
All the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) economies are a role model for developing nations. India might be behind China in economic terms but that’s for two obvious reasons. 1: India opened its economy decades after China and 2: India is a Democracy that means it has to build an agreement with her people before making any major economic reforms and that takes time.
India might have more poor people then many African nations but that’s natural since it’s got over a billion people. Its literacy rate today stands at 60 some % which is a huge leap then what it used to be say 30 years ago. 60% of a billion plus people is a lot! That’s double the size of U.S Population.
So Yes India despite all her shortcomings is a great role model for the entire developing world.
Parsis
Funny the author compared Pondicherry and Goa with Hongkong and Macau… The former ex-colonies in India enjoy a GDP per capita of ~$1,500 (which is considered quite high in India, esp. compared to provinces like Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, with sub-$500 GDP per capita). The GDP per capita of Hongkong and Macau are both over $30,000. Understandably, comparing colonies might be a bad method to evaluate the competency of national governments, but India, spared the kind of international isolation that China endured from the 50s until the 80s, and lavished with the blessings of democracy during all this time while China languished in Communist despotism, is now decades behind China in development. India’s level of development today is around the level of China in the 80s, while in the actual 80s, India was slightly ahead of China in development. The two countries’ literacy rates are telling figures: both countries started at about the same level (15%) in the 50s. By the end of the 70s China’s literacy rate was over 80% while India’s had yet to exceed 50%. By now China’s literacy rate is 92% while India’s literacy rate is barely 60%. Other perimetres such as infrastructure, economy, and international influence does not even need to be mentioned. Frankly, India’s political system is not unlike many African countries’ governments: initially socialist and idealist, then eventually mired in corruption and red tape as government grows more and more distant from the general populace, and eventually stagnation sets in. Democracy does not aid rapid development. No country in the world modernized rapidly with a democratic system: the countries that were always democratic developed slowly but steadily over a long period of time and often enjoyed abundant resources (European powers and their colonial ventures naturally comes to mind), while all countries that modernized rapidly did so with relatively centralized and restrictive governments: Taiwan and South Korea were dictatorships until the early 90s, Japan was a one-party bureaucratic despotism during the critical 60s and 70s, Singapore is still a siingle-party dominant state, and neither Hongkong nor Macau enjoyed full autonomy and democratic self-rule. China has so-far enjoyed considerable success with such a system. African countries that adopted to this system, such as Rwanda and Sudan, are performing well economically. Thus to say that India’s government system gives it a diplomatic advantage over China is rather frivolous. If anything the African countries should have learned that their own attempts at democracy ultimately led to endless coups and strife.
observer
The danger for Africa is they may look at India and be repulsed by “democracy”. India has more poor people than any other country and child malnutrition rates exceeding that of sub-Saharan Africa. African should provide foreign aid to India.
baddimaga
well said michael, india should first provide basic necessities for its own people, by standard estimates, india has more poor people than whole of africa. In that sense they are peers, and not a role model/benefactor for africa
Muttley
India reaching out to Africa eh ? why is it I have to urge to “LOL” ? (maybe because I have this thought in my head: “…so the brown continent is going to bring influence and prosperity and the all-mighty democracy to the dark continent huh ? the formerly colonized, now all rich and powerful fixing the formerly colonized ?)
well, well let’s see….what was it Churchill said about India many years ago:
“India is a geographical term. It is no more a united nation than the Equator.”
Yes, it was said a long time ago but is it entirely 100% nonsense presently hmm ?
observer
India is a British construct.
tejeswini krishnan
first of all goa and pondicherry reallyyy….. that shows anyones knowledge about India do not underestimate us…we first of all dont believe cutting others throat for power is any way to approach politics or life….we may not become the superpower in the terms of the past…we shall make our own path…secondly, please brush up your knowledge about india not in the western perspective but read our vedantas and u shall our science or technology is 100 thousand years in the future…we have brought in valuable contributions across the world(please read up online or go stumble, i dont have to prove it) and thridly, please go to india to know about it, we may not surge to buy the next apple product but culturally and spiritually we are intact…..in a the european league cenus one discovered half of european youth are europe are depressed without any motivation to achieve anythin…its all given to them on golden platter…but in india the sense of togetherness and will to achieve will take us places, we are yet a young country…80% to be precise. we do enjoy underestimation… since we dont enjoy attention. But please do remember if i can be studying in the uk and typing this on a mac…i believe i prove a point….
observer
“our science or technology is 100 thousand years in the future”
Yes, perhaps 100 thousand years in the future, “educated” Indians will learn to get information from something other than their domestic news media which can at best be called bad “comic books”.
sven kramer
It is not the race of same level. India lacks world ambition…….look at HT or outlookindia, you will find majority of news is about india and the very few foreign news are related to Pak or indirectly related to Pak through US,China…..
And India, in Geography, In national identity(let’s say, India is not a country until Britain colonize it), In human culture(very restricted to focused countries, anglophone countries……You will find much less indian businessmen in majority of african countries than Chinese), has very few ambition to competite with China in a global perspective.
I think Kaplan is right: India will be a strong region power in India Ocean and China could be a strong world power in the future, maybe(maybe not)the same like US or former USSR.
JimmyCrapriCorn
“…India lacks world ambition…” We (USA) used to say that about China. At some point in time, sourcing commodities is pertinent to economic development. Whether through state agencies or through Corporate, eventually they will have to compete for the same raw materials. Perhaps shared corporate ownership (international corporations) will facilitate cooperation and less competition.
Christian
“…India lacks world ambition…” India doesn’t lack ambition, just competence! They seek to be a hegemony through military might. That’s why even though India has more poor than Africa itself they are still spending a extraordinary amount on military weapons because the Indian upper caste have never cared about the lower caste dalits. India is a joke! India Shining…yeah shoes!
Maximus
Ha Ha. So many good humour in this column. Ha Ha.
Michael
China is surrounded by U.S.fed guppies other than the U.S.shark which has lost its teeth permanently and is depending on China to feed it (1 trillion debt to China alone)Have u been to Goa and Pondicherry compared to HongKong or Macau?Stop dreaming.Can Africa eat Democracy?Europe and America are developed democracies and have been pillaging Africa throughout history and the cold war.Suggest India get our of it pipe dream.Dont let East India company opium legacy drug u further on grandeur as a rising power.Look after your Adivasis and Caste disctimination,ethnic and language divide,corruption,health care,etc.Put your house in order before the pipe dream.
Raj Saxena
Dont let East India company opium legacy drug u further
That…that wasn’t us.