An Afrocentric Analysis of the Practicality of Radical Economic Transformation in the Context of South Africa–China Relations, 2013–2017

Abstract

Ascending to the presidency at the time of the lingering global economic crisis, Jacob Zuma drew South Africa closer to China as an alternative development partner. The scholarly literature on South Africa–China relations during Zuma's administration focuses largely on whether the relationship was mutually beneficial and on the purported shift in South Africa's foreign policy from Euro-American developed countries towards the East, with China being at the forefront. Despite the widespread calls for radical economic transformation during Zuma's administration, the existing discourse has not interrogated the practicality of the proposed policy in the context of South Africa–China relations. In light of the above, the current article adopts Afrocentricity to interrogate the practicality of radical economic transformation in the context of South Africa–China relations. Methodologically, the author engaged in qualitative desktop research that relied heavily on secondary data and employed document review to analyse the collected data.