[en] Four lessons are drawn from a series of demonstrations related to my thesis:
1. State power consists of three categories of attributes. Old material attributes (population and territory), current material attributes (economic, political and cultural) and immaterial attributes (identity, recognition and international representation). All these attributes are reinforced by South-South cooperation that allows emerging countries to extend their power away from their area of direct influence.
2. It is this model of cooperation that Chinese actors have with African countries and the change in their motivation depends on their political and economic objectives as well as the evolution of the international environment. Yet Africa does not form a coherent bloc.
3. Taking into account the historical, political and socio-economic particularities of the DRC, the economic and commercial activities of the Chinese actors in this country contribute to the construction of the economic power of China in Africa and contain issues (strategic, logistical, economic, migratory and positioning) likely to reproduce the mechanisms of domination of the Congolese economy.
4. To achieve their objectives, these Chinese economic actors mobilize the political tool (South-South cooperation to win the trust of their partners), the discursive tool (the historical referent to recall their assets and exploits of the past) and the economic tool (the public-private partnership to integrate the structures of the local economy).
Research center :
Center for International Relations Studies
Disciplines :
Political science, public administration & international relations
Puissances émergentes et coopération Sud-Sud. Les enjeux de la pénétration chinoise en République Démocratique du Congo
Commentary :
Cette thèse éclaire nos idées sur le modèle de coopération que les pays émergents entretiennent avec les autres pays du Sud. Fondée sur une étude de cas, elle s'est réalisée dans un contexte politique et économique donné. La République Démocratique du Congo, sortant d'une longue période de guerres et rebellions qui ont détruit son tissu économique, est à la quête de financement pour la réalisation de son programme de reconstruction nationale. La Chine, sortant de son isolement diplomatique, a besoin de nouvelles sources d'approvisionnement de matières premières pour sa croissance économique. Pourtant les récents accords de coopération entre les deux pays font l'objet de débat et de controverse qui justifie l'intérêt de cette étude.
