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African Affairs Advance Access originally published online on October 4, 2007
African Affairs 2008 107(426):63-87; doi:10.1093/afraf/adm056
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© The Author [2008]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal African Society. All rights reserved

Sino-African Relations and the Problem of Human Rights

Ian Taylor

China's political and economic activities in Africa are increasing at an exponential rate. Equally, they are attracting criticism, chiefly over Beijing's no-strings-attached stance on human rights and governance. It is clear that many African states that enjoy Chinese support not only trample on civil and political rights (as per Western ideas of human rights), but also subvert their citizens’ economic and social rights (as per China's discourse on human rights). If whilst adhering to the principle of non-interference, Chinese activities actually make things worse for some in Africa, then Beijing's argument that basic socio-economic rights are more important for the poor than abstract political rights is potentially problematic. This is because there is a danger that Beijing's engagement in Africa might be exploited by autocrats on the continent for their own, well-understood, reasons. Doing no harm, rather than a studied disinterest, needs to be part of China's overall African policy, something that Beijing is bound to recognize.

The author gratefully acknowledges the British Academy, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, and the Russell Trust of Scotland for financial support for fieldwork on Sino-African relations, carried out in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Uganda. The ideas for this article were initially tested at seminars at Wilton Park, the University of Plymouth, the State Department, SAIS-Johns Hopkins University, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. I am grateful to participants in these events, this journal's two anonymous reviewers, and Shaun Breslin for commenting and helping to crystallize my thoughts. Any errors remain my own.


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Sino-Africa Relations and the Problem of Human Rights: A Response to Ian Taylor.
Lloyd G.A. Amoah
African Affairs, 14 Mar 2008 [Full text]

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