Research

The Centre for Chinese Studies (CCS) is researching Chinese engagement in Africa. Its main vocation is exploring the variety of interactions and actors in Sino-African relations, with an analytical interest in the political, economic, social and environmental sustainability of Chinese engagement in Africa.

Beyond the reality of Chinese engagement in African states, the CCS is seeking to explore drivers for China’s Africa engagement, as understanding internal and international drivers in China is necessary to assess the potential in and direction of the relationship. Furthermore, the CCS aspires to apply a comparative perspective, comparing Chinese engagement to the engagement of other external actors in Africa – both emerging economies and ‘traditional’ development partners – so as to explore distinctive features and common issues in the engagement of external actors in African states.

The CCS research interests can be clustered in three main thematic strands in Chinese-African engagement:
• Exploring partnership(s) – The actors in the engagement
• Innovation and cooperation – Sino-African economic relations
• Sustainable engagement – Social and environmental aspects of Chinese engagement

Given its broad research agenda, the CCS is necessarily multi-disciplinary in its research. It is particularly seeking collaborative work with scholars from Africa, China and other academic centres with a similar interest.

South African relations with China and Taiwan – Economic realism and the ‘One China’ doctrine

The project engages in an empirical comparison between the economic relations of South Africa and the PRC, and South Africa and Taiwan, in light of the (potentially conflicting) foreign policy doctrine of ‘One China’. As its primary question, this research will examine the extent of political reach into the economic exchanges which occur between the three parties, with a specific focus on South Africa’s ability to navigate its way through such a challenging relationship. The project examines ways in which the harnessing and deployment of non-state-actors enables South Africa to adapt to new political contexts. More broadly, it is anticipated that this research will shed light on the primacy of economic trade with regards to South Africa’s foreign policy toward East Asia, and an underlying pragmatism which may be at odds with official policy.

Contact: ranthony@sun.ac.za; yejookim@sun.ac.za

Renewable Energy Companies in China and their African Interests

This project is currently in the planning phase and as such is still a purely CCS project, we do however hope to include partners from China and other African institutions. This project will comprise of an exploratory study looking at the solar and wind renewable energy sectors in China, establishing who the owners and stake holders of these companies are (state and private) – and secondly where these companies, with their noted diferences, are active in Africa. Contact: hesterhuyse@sun.ac.za

Conference Report – The 2nd China-Africa Think Tanks Forum

Date: 12-13 October 2012
Venue: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Brief conference report from the 2nd China-Africa Think Tanks Forum (CATTF II) which was held in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, October 12-13, 2012. The forum was hosted by the Institute of African Studies of Zhejiang Normal University and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies of Addis Ababa University under the theme of “Chinese and African Common Interests: Current Issues and Future Perspectives in Governance, Peace and Security”. CCS Director Sven Grimm, Research Fellow Ross Anthony, and Research Analyst Yejoo Kim attended the forum. Continue Reading

CCS Conference Report: “Greening China-Africa relations”

21 May 2012

Points taken from a workshop in Stellenbosch, 17-18 May 2012. The workshop discussed progress and challenges with regard to incorporating environmentally-friendly practice into Chinese and African development and in China-Africa cooperation. Participants included researchers from various disciplines from China and African states as well as Chinese and African NGOs. The workshop was hosted by the CCS and the Chinese Embassy to South Africa, meant to provide space for academic discussion and to provide input for the upcoming FOCAC V meeting in Beijing. The points provided here as a summary are observations by CCS Director Dr Sven Grimm; they might not reflect the consensus of all participants.  Continue Reading

Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, H.E. TIAN Xuejun addressed the opening session of the workshop. His remarks are available on the website of the Embassy of the Peoples’ Republic of China in Pretoria.

Risk and Response: Climate Change and Drought in China

Extreme weather events like droughts and floods are known phenomena that gain new importance due to global climate change. This study will look at the extreme weather event risks of recent droughts in Northern and South Eastern China. The study aspires to evaluate the effectiveness of the response to droughts, at both the general level of climate change policy and specific responses to the cases of drought. The global consensus on possible effects can be found in the IPCC report on extreme weather events. The IPCC has also found a general consensus that by applying strategies of adaption and mitigation it is possible to both reduce the impact and long term effects of extreme weather events. It is important that countries both determine their risks of extreme weather events in a situation of changing climate, and evaluate their risk response policies. The results of this study will broaden understanding of extreme weather events in China and the risks involved whilst also providing some guidelines for risk mitigation policy.

Completed – For project output and results please see: [Discussion Paper] [Policy Brief]

Contact: hesterhuyse@sun.ac.za