China and Africa is a current hot topic. The Love Affair is a strong enthusiasm which has seen an interest and eagerness by the Chinese to engage in Africa. Chinese engagement in Africa has raised various concerns. Although these concerns are real, it seems much of the debate does not take into adequate (sometimes no) account of the historical relations between Africa and China. Indeed one would be forgiven to think that China and Africa started their relations in the 1990s. But this is not the case. Already back in 1957, for example, the Chinese were making large cotton purchases from Egypt. China and Africa Love Affair is a short historical account of the relationship between China and Africa. The objectives of the book are to provide an historical context through which the current debate can take place. Most of the criticism leveled against both China and Africa does not take account of the history between the two. It should do. Its worrying that some criticism of Sino-African relations emanates from non Africans. Even more worrying is that these same sources are doing brisk business with China. It's important that Africans know their own history. It is equally important that we know the history of those that we have a relationship with. Understanding the history of Sino-African relationships is critical to what Africans can gain from this relationship. It is also critical to how Africans respond to the Chinese. Sino-African relations are evolving. Failure to understand the historical context in which this relationship has developed, will lead to misunderstanding and perhaps even conflict, which would be detrimental to both parties.

This book investigates the expanding involvement of China in security cooperation in Africa. Drawing on leading and emerging scholars in the field, the volume uses a combination of analytical insights and case studies to unpack the complexity of security challenges confronting China and the continent. It interrogates how security considerations impact upon the growing economic and social links China has developed with African states.

The geopolitical landscape of contemporary China-Africa relations has provoked wide media interest. After being conspicuously overlooked during the G8's purported 'Year of Africa', the topic generated wider debate in the build-up to the China-Africa Summit in Beijing in 2006. Despite this, China's deepening re-engagement with the African continent has been relatively neglected in academic and development policy circles. In particular, the concrete ways in which different Chinese actors are operating in different parts of Africa, their political dynamics and implications for African development as well as Western views of this phenomenon, have yet be explored in depth."China Returns to Africa" responds to this need by addressing the key issues in contemporary China-Africa relations. Taking its cue from the widely touted 'Chinese Scramble for Africa' and the accompanying claim of a 'new Chinese imperialism', the book moves beyond narrow media-driven concerns to offer one of the first far-ranging surveys of China's return to Africa, examining what this new relationship holds for diplomacy, trade and development.

In South Africa-China Relations: Between Aspiration and Reality in a New Global Order, Phiwokuhle Mnyandu analyzes South Africa-China relations in the context of South Africa’s quest to reduce unemployment and transform its economy to ensure lasting social stability. Mnyandu uses trade patterns, analyses of governmental organizations and initiatives, and other socio-economic data to determine the extent to which developmental change or stasis has taken place as relations between South Africa and China have deepened. Tracing South Africa’s changing attitudes and policies towards China’s involvement, the impact of programs involving commodities trades on unemployment, and the prospective outcomes of an endogenous developmental policy, Mnyandu concludes by proposing a quadri-linear model as a tool for more comprehensive analyses of China’s relations not only with South Africa, but other African countries as well to avoid disinformation on Africa-China issues.

China and Africa Love Affair is a short historical account of the relationship between China and Africa. The love affair is a strong enthusiasm which has seen an interest and eagerness by the Chinese to engage in Africa. This work will show this. For Africans, in particular, the work will show the long ties that have existed between some of their countries and China. Understanding the history of Sino-African relationships is critical to what Africans can gain from this relationship. It is also critical to how Africans respond to the Chinese. Sino-African relations are evolving. Failure to understand the historical context in which this relationship has developed, will lead to misunderstanding and perhaps even conflict, which would be detrimental to both parties.

For years economists have spoken of 'Africa rising', and despite the global financial crisis, Africa continues to host some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Africa's Shadow Rise however argues that the continent's apparent economic 'rise' is essentially a mirage, driven by developments elsewhere - most particularly the expansion in China's economy. While many African countries have experienced high rates of growth, much of this growth may prove to be unsustainable, and has contributed to environmental destruction and worsening inequality across the continent. Similarly, new economic relationships have produced new forms of dependency, as African nations increasingly find themselves tied to the fortunes of China and other emerging powers. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork in southern Africa, Africa's Shadow Rise reveals how the shifting balance of global power is transforming Africa's economy and politics, and what this means for the future of development efforts in the region.

Examines Chinese engagement with African nations, focusing on (1) Chinese and African objectives in the political and economic spheres and how they work to achieve them, (2) African perceptions of Chinese engagement, (3) how China has adjusted its policies to accommodate African views, and (4) whether the United States and China are competing for influence, access, and resources in Africa and how they might cooperate in the region.