China-Africa Relations, the Case of Djibouti. South-South Cooperation or Neocolonial Expansionism?

Abstract

China considers Africa a strategic partner. Both regions have consolidated a growing and relevant relationship that have brought as a result important development and investment projects in the African countries. Beijing has been implementing a series of policies that have had a deep impact in economic, political and cultural terms, however, some of these policies remain controversial for a number of reasons (related mainly to labor, ecology and human rights). Some critical views consider there is a new pattern of dependency from the African countries to China, based on this context, some cases are particularly important, such as the cases of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Argelia, which will be analyzed throughout the chapter.