Africa-Press – Angola. In an interview reported by the international press, the diplomat and secretary of international affairs of the Chinese Communist Party, Yang Jiechi, conveyed to the world that together with Russia, China intends to build a fairer international order, that is, a more inclusive international order where the harmony between nations prevails and withdraw or at least try to change a universalization of strictly Western values.
China, in recent months and years, has been at the heart of debates among specialists, academics and diplomats about how it fits and acts in its foreign policy and the description of its action triggers division of opinions. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, stereotypes have been created and that country has been blamed for the pandemic outbreak and its rapid spread around the world, and, clearly, there are “synophobic” speeches, including by world leaders.
Foreign policy consists of a set of guidelines and actions that countries seek to adopt in view of the nature and challenges that arise in the international environment and their insertion in the international system. This set of actions permeates a “policy coordination” of political institutions with a view to a decision-making process. This phenomenon combines the two levels, the internal or domestic and the international, which consists of: States, international organizations, multinational companies, individuals, among others.Its correlation with its security is given from the fact that external threats, whether potential or real, need to be contained and require political action to do so.
This political action is increased through competent institutions of the States and the use of indispensable means to contain these same threats, especially if they jeopardize the maintenance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a given State. China recently witnessed the visit of the President of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi, to the island of Taiwan, which represents a real threat to the principle of sovereign equality of States and interference in the internal affairs of each nation, having aroused a sense of insecurity in the nation. and corresponds to a profound affront on the part of the United States government, increasing tensions in the South China Sea region.
In a categorical and also panoramic view, China and its growth have changed the configuration of the international and global order, transforming the culture of western values, and bringing new forms of cooperation, without diving into a denial of the existence of other powers and values that are also pre-existing. -existing. It is a great truth that China has been changing and has changed the international order and the modus operandis of the powers in this same system in which we can mention several factors such as: Economic impetus since 1978, called “Bonluan Fanzheng” or economic opening, by the then leader Deng Xiaoping , China’s growing bilateral and multilateral activity, new forms of cooperation in the Global South region and with middle powers.
China currently occupies the second position in the ranking of the largest world economies, behind only its rival, the United States, restoring the position that it had already occupied in the period of the great navigations, being one of the empires at the time that most developed commercial contacts with other civilizations and empires in the vast civilizational world.
I will focus on facts and analysis of how China has shaped the system and the order, not only economic-financial, but also political-diplomatic and military, especially Angola, a strategic partner of enormous importance on the African continent and in Southern Africa.
Historical and analytical contextualization
The Zhongguó or Middle Empire, as China was called in the imperial period, relied heavily on geography, which was very influential in the construction of the Chinese state and also in the construction of its history. The Han expansion advanced to the steppes of Central Asia, passing through the central plains, to the desert of Xinjiang or Taclamakan, to Manchuria, including the Tibetan plateau, and finally to the plains in the south, the bank of the Yellow River (Yangtze), where it witnessed strong natural disasters such as floods and floods. On the other hand, a long and traditional agricultural culture of various products and a drainage and irrigation system for the plantations originated in this region. The future Middle Kingdom had its origin in the central plains. The entire political system and the seat of imperial powers also originated in this region, due to its economic importance, mainly in the areas bordering the Yangtze River. The uniqueness of China presents a range of elements that demonstrate its millenary splendor and that it revives to this day. In the period of the great Yellow Emperor Huang-ti, and the five emperors in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), China experienced a long phase of civil wars and insurrections against the imperial regime. As Mao himself stated, in this period approximately 50 million people were decimated and the war of unification of the Qin Dynasty took place, culminating in the conquest of the six states that led to the unification of China under the same dynasty. In the period of the great Yellow Emperor Huang-ti, and the five emperors in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), China experienced a long phase of civil wars and insurrections against the imperial regime. As Mao himself stated, in this period approximately 50 million people were decimated and the war of unification of the Qin Dynasty took place, culminating in the conquest of the six states that led to the unification of China under the same dynasty. In the period of the great Yellow Emperor Huang-ti, and the five emperors in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), China experienced a long phase of civil wars and insurrections against the imperial regime. As Mao himself stated, in this period approximately 50 million people were decimated and the war of unification of the Qin Dynasty took place, culminating in the conquest of the six states that led to the unification of China under the same dynasty.
During these periods of instability and reunification, the Chinese managed to effect effective control of a multicultural empire that stretched as far as the Mongolian plateau, through a feudal system, which combined with an amalgamation of vassal states, which, in turn, had right to security and protection of their property. The primacy of China in the political organization of the time when long empires on the five continents stood out, had its prominent place; Chinese culture, that is, its Confucian and Taoist philosophy, writing and even military and navigation techniques, were exported to other territories outside mainland China, such as the Korean Peninsula, ancient Indochina (now Vietnam) in the Nguyen Dynasty and the Southeast Asia. During the Ming Dynasty, the great navigator Zhen He, a Muslim from Yunam,
Long periods of trouble marked the end of China’s imperial period, more precisely in the Qing Dynasty, such as the Taiping rebellion, of a Christian nature, the two Opium Wars, which constituted a true violation of Chinese territorial integrity, with China forced to yield Hong Kong to the British crown, as enacted in the Treaty of Nanjing, and the first Sino-Japanese war over the issue of supremacy on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the anti-Christian, anti-Western and anti-colonial Boxer revolution. Therefore, this period was marked by a long decline of the Qing Dynasty and the imperial period, under the leadership of its last emperor, Xuantong.
The Republic of China was divided after the death of Professor Sun Yat-Sen, leader of the Kuomintang party and founder of republican China, when the two great members would divide China ideologically into two axes, the nationalists by Chiang Kai-Shek. and the communists by Mao Zedong. Also in this period, after the death of Yat-Sen, republican China saw its territory annexed by the Japanese empire, leading to the Manchurian crisis in the 1930s. and the end of 22 years of civil war, which began in 1927. With this, comes the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China, after the victorious “Great March”.
This period was marked by the Maoist revolution or cultural revolution, the rescue of Confucian values and a Marxist ideology, based on the millenary cultural model. This period was also marked by the policy of the “Great Leap Forward”, by Mao, seeking a strongly planned and socially just and egalitarian economy, which ended up culminating in the great famine from 1958 to 1961, which claimed between 15 and 55 million human lives. , marking one of the biggest food crises recorded in human history.
Economic opening and a New China
After Mao’s death and all the social, political and economic repercussions, China finally comes to know a remarkable period in its history. The Sino-Soviet split brought President Nixon the idea of allying himself with China, opposing the Soviet hegemony in the antagonism of the Cold War, giving rise to China as a power on the continent and later in the world. This economic opening was due to the skill and cunning work of Deng Xiaoping, leader of the Communist Party and architect of the “Bonluan fanzheng”, a policy that sought to eliminate the chaos of the Maoist period and make China economically developed and with social progress. . These policies aimed at institutional reforms in which the free market and ideals of Western capitalism could transform China from one of the poorest nations on the planet to one of the most prosperous and growing economies ever. These institutional reforms consisted of reforms in rural industry to encourage agricultural production, increasing the income power of peasants and aiming for self-sufficiency, the opposite of what was seen in the Soviet Union. A dual system of price control was used on certain sectors, such as the mining industry, which was crucial for the construction of infrastructure and transport, and a policy of external opening, attracting direct foreign investment, as well as the creation of Special Economics and Free Zones in port cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. These social transformations allowed the Chinese State to invest widely in its human capital in the long term, occupying prominent positions in the main universities in the world and mainly in the West, thus giving back, with its knowledge for economic development. Experts say China’s policies, which many attribute to so-called market socialism or “Chinese capitalism”, in a period of dollar crisis and the Asian tiger crisis, were a key factor in polarization, and a challenge to the United States. and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. with their knowledge for economic development. Experts say China’s policies, which many attribute to so-called market socialism or “Chinese capitalism”, in a period of dollar crisis and the Asian tiger crisis, were a key factor in polarization, and a challenge to the United States. and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. with their knowledge for economic development. Experts say China’s policies, which many attribute to so-called market socialism or “Chinese capitalism”, in a period of dollar crisis and the Asian tiger crisis, were a key factor in polarization, and a challenge to the United States. and the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
This geopolitical insertion of China is attributed to Deng Xiaoping, a pragmatic and strongly realistic politician with idealistic steps, as he sided with Western powers in search of a revitalized China that was increasingly participatory in the international environment. Some data show how “roarious” China was in this period: in the 1980s it reached 9.5% growth a year and in 1995 it reached 10.2%, with the low unit value technology industry and the heavy industry, such as metallurgical, led it in growth rates.
There has been a gross investment of 35% to 40% of GDP since 1980 in China’s economy.
And even more: state-owned companies led 60% of investments, not only in industry, but in the electricity grid, infrastructures such as railways, ports and airports, which benefited from the growth of heavy industry, and even 15% in towns. and communities, without forgetting that exports in dollars jumped from 27.4 billion to 148 billion in positive balances in the Chinese export balance, in 1995, with the USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany as major partners and South Korea.
With the United States, the balance of trade consisted of importing textiles, footwear, electronics from China and exporting aircraft, chemicals and grains to China. With the end of the embargo, Nixon introduced China into the system of priorities for buying and selling products, reducing tariffs and trade barriers. Clearly, China has drastically reduced its poverty rate and sought agricultural and industrial expansion, increasing the purchasing power of the Chinese population and per capita income in rural areas.
Foreign and Security Policy
Chinese foreign policy starts its big move in the opening period, with several leaders such as Helmut Schmidt and Lee Kuan Yew, debating Deng Xiaoping’s foreign policy, classifying him as calculating and pragmatic, and not simply as a communist of success. The opening to the West, while much contested by the more conservative wing of the Chinese Communist Party, has raised China to the level of a globally dominant middle power. Henry Kissinger, on his visit as President Nixon’s special envoy to Beijing, highlighted the importance of establishing relations with China and seeking to maintain peace after the failure in Vietnam. China’s international action dates back to the Maoist period, with the ideology of people’s solidarity and the so-called construction of the new man, countering the Soviet presence on the continent and looking for new allies. To this end, it was present in the anti-imperialist struggle, participating in and supporting liberation movements in countries such as Angola, Algeria, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and Guinea, with foreign aid, military training and ideological training.
The Bandung conference was crucial for China as a faithful actor in the liberation process in the global south. These historic emoluments have served for China to continue to cherish diplomacy in solidarity with peripheral countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally. In this way, China’s foreign policy has been based on the following objectives: The maintenance of peaceful coexistence with its neighbors, economic satisfaction internationally, industrial protection, and demonstration of defense capacity for building a more renewed and stronger China. , opposing the bias of an intimidating or threatening country. 🇧🇷
Regionally, China has made efforts to maintain cooperative relations with its neighbors. Historically, China has seen its territory being taken over by foreign empires and powers. Its relations with India were neglected due to border issues, being militarily underestimated. The issue of Taiwan and the South China Sea give rise to interference from the United States, which resorts to unilateral practices. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization shows that this coexistence is important for China’s security and hegemonic containment, since many countries in the region were part of the former Russian empire and this was an alternative to not making Russia hegemonic in the Asia region. central. There are clear reasons why China is moving towards a “soft power”, in a way that dematerializes foreign policy in military terms, betting on a more economic, political and also cultural model. An example was the Hu Jintao government and the 2008 Olympic Games, strongly embracing Chinese cultural and imperial issues. China’s foreign policy has been pragmatic and equidistant in its model of action, being inclusive and peripheral, dealing with otherness and national differences. Still, in soft power, China’s solidarity has given rise to some opinions on how it has acted multilaterally. Today, it is one of the countries that contributes the most with soldiers and technicians in International Organizations and in peace missions such as MONUSCO in the DRC, MINUSMA in Mali, UNAMID in Darfur, UNMIL in Liberia; and seeks the attention of international organizations for issues related to the African continent. other than that, in Southeast Asia, China has sought to maintain its influence in a variety of ways, providing foreign aid, party assistance and direct investment and transitions of economic models to communist-oriented countries such as Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Concerns about the rise of China lead to protectionist measures by western powers, which see it as a hegemonic danger to the world and as an actor of unfair diplomacy towards several countries, including Africans and some Asians.
Impacts in Angola
In the post-war period, during the Government of Unity and National Reconciliation, the country devastated after 27 years of civil war and facing an astronomical debt, needed to find ways to start its process of national reconstruction, and revitalization of its economy to improve the quality of life of Angolans. China strongly supported liberation movements engaged in the anti-colonial struggle. In the post-war period, China was one of the countries that most sympathized with the huge losses incurred during the war, with direct investments and the granting of credit lines for infrastructure projects, as well as light industry, with interest relatively moderate. These relationships stand out as one of the closest in sub-Saharan Africa and the African continent itself. On the Angolan side, exports of crude oil stand out, above all, and also the diamond sector. The export of crude made China include Angola as an important country in its energy security. Angola is one of the OPEC countries that most exported oil to China, behind only Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Chinese and Angolan companies have been present in both countries, these being banks such as: CITIC Bank, Bank of China and ICBS. Chinese construction companies have the largest presence in the country.
In the case of Angola, the oil company Sonangol has greatly increased its investments in the Chinese market, mainly in the Hong Kong special administration region. Apart from that, Angola is one of the countries that have benefited from the ambivalent project “Belt and Road Initiative”, enacted in the Chinese five-year plan, by President Xi Jinping.
We have strong numbers between the two countries that show how both economic and political-diplomatic relations are growing at an unparalleled pace. In 2019, the former defense minister met with his Chinese counterpart Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Defense Committee of the People’s Republic of China, addressing areas such as restructuring the national defense industry, product supply and maintenance. of armaments and infrastructure for the Angolan armed forces.
The Angolan national economy depends on approximately 95% of oil extraction, with 30% destined for tax revenues. The economic crisis that dates back to 2014 has strongly affected the sector worldwide. China has always had Angola around its energy security, competing with the US, including other petro-states such as Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Nigeria. Thus, the trade balance between the two countries in 2013 reached the mark of 42%, equivalent to 37.5 million US dollars. The number of Chinese in Angola reached 260,000, mostly in the civil construction sector, among others. In 2021, Angola was the fifth largest exporter to China, having reached third place in previous years. In rocks and granites, it reached the mark of 50 thousand tons. It can be seen that Angola is a country that has mutually growing relations with China, despite the adversities and domestic issues that the two countries are going through, giving rise to mixed investor commissions to continue large and good deals.
* Angolan graduated in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (Brazil) and Postgraduate in Contemporary China Studies from the same University
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