China in Africa: From partner countries to follower countries. Part 2

Abstract

The article is a continuation of the study of Sino-African relations in the context of the theory of dependent development. The authors of the article identify two main goals of Chinese policy in Africa: to meet the urgent needs of the rapidly growing economy of the People's Republic of China, and to form a pro-Chinese pan-African two-level bloc of states - at the first, basic level, we are talking about partner countries, at the second, higher level - about the follower countries of China which would generally share the Chinese vision of the global world order. The authors of the article developed a methodology by setting the task of analyzing the functional geopolitical role, economic and cultural importance of each African country for China of 54 sovereign African countries. We are talking about the formation of five groups of factors called dimensions of influence: geopolitical, trade and economic, financial and investment, military and cultural and ideological dimensions. In the course of the study, the authors compiled five summary tables referred to in the article as matrices of influence, each of which includes information about all 54 sovereign states of Africa. At the end of the article, a general matrix of influence is provided, summarizing the information of the five above-mentioned tables. The final matrix of influence makes it possible to range 54 African states according to the degree of their importance in the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China. The authors emphasize the objectivist nature of the results obtained, without taking into account the subjective factor of the personal relations of the heads of African states with the leader of the PRC. The conclusions given in the article not only fix the situation that has developed de facto, but also bring us to the scientifically based conclusions about the future of Sino-African relations.