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21
Years Dedicated to the Study of
Global, National, and Local Public Policy
Issues
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CHINA AND AFRICA
A Global Currents discussion featuring
Dr. Julia C. Strauss
Senior Lecturer in Politics
School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London
Editor of The China Quarterly
Thursday August 27th, 2009
4:30-6:00 p.m.
1914 Lounge of the Thwing Student Center
Case Western Reserve University
Refreshments provided
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China’s increasing involvement in Africa surely is a sign of China’s development as an international power. But what else does it mean, or portend?
Say “China and Africa,” and many Americans may think of Darfur. Some even call the Chinese government, “genocide’s enabler-in-chief.” But, whatever the merits of those
claims, China’s involvement in Africa goes far beyond one country. Many on both the left and right ascribe it to China’s “energy-hungry economy” and so an attempt to lock up resources. A Council on Foreign Relations report describes a “race to secure long-term energy supplies” in which China is seeking to capture African oil. A post on openDemocracy asks, “is such bold developing-world investment any less self-interested than that from western, ex-colonial states?” What are the “dynamics of a new age of ‘south-south cooperation?’” The Heritage Foundation darkly warns that China’s activities challenge the “vision of a prosperous Africa governed by democracies that respect human rights and the rule of law and that embrace free markets.” Meanwhile, the “China-Africa Cooperation Forum” emphasizes strong friendship and support for development.
Any of these views is suspect as being based on an outsider’s view of the Chinese, or propaganda from the Chinese. Hence it is timely indeed that
The China Quarterly, in September of 2008, brought together a group of experts on both China and Africa for a conference that will result in a special issue of the journal.
The China Quarterly is the leading source of research on China and Taiwan, and its editor, Dr. Julia Strauss, convened the conference. Her home institution, the School of Oriental and African Studies, is ideally positioned to bring together experts on both China and Africa. So this conference was at the cutting edge of understanding one of the most interesting and least understood developments in international relations, and few if any people in the world could give a better overview of the topic than Dr. Strauss will offer us.
This event is made possible by the generosity of Ms. Eloise Briskin
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Additional Information About Our Guest...
 Dr. Julia Strauss
received her B.A. degree from Connecticut College and her Ph.D. from the
University of California at Berkeley. She teaches courses covering
Chinese politics of the 20th century, state and society in Asia and Africa,
and state and society in the Chinese political process at the University of
London's School of Oriental and African Studies.
Dr. Strauss is also the editor The China Quarterly, the leading source
for serious scholarship on contemporary China and Taiwan. Rigorously
peer-reviewed and edited to the highest standards, The China Quarterly
publishes in-depth, accurate and comprehensive research. International
in scholarship, The China Quarterly provides readers with an
indispensable aid to understanding modern China, through articles and
research reports, book reviews and the Quarterly Chronicle, a guide to
recent events on China.
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