Course name: Int'l Sym on Sino-African Stu

Report name:

International Symposium – Programme 2023:

Africa-China Relations in an Era of Uncertain

Future

Student full name: ZHAO Qifan, YUAN Meng, CHEN Haojun

Student number: 5064362, 5072656, 5054848

Total words (excluding references)

 2260

Introduction

Africa-China relations are in an era of the uncertain future. In this uncertain future,

people-to-people relationships between Africa and China have made a crucial

difference in Africa and China foreign relationship. The people-to-people

relationships have optimistic and pessimistic effects on Africa-China relations. From

the optimistic perspective, the increasingly close people-to-people exchanges are

conducive to promoting economic, political, and cultural ties between Africa and

China, increasing people-to-people understanding between the two different societies.

From the pessimistic perspective, however, as the economic interest conflicts and the

cultural difference these migrations all face the discrimination and the repel from the

locals. And these problems have become an obstacle for China and African countries’

official relationships. Hence, people-to-people relationships are one of the crucial

study topics in the Sino-Africa area. In order to research and introduce how people-to-

people relationships influence Africa and China engagement, there are three studies

we choose from the symposium: Chinese Chiefs in Africa (2023), Africans in

Guangzhou Xiaobei (2023), and the Chinese gold rush in Ghana (2023). These three

presentations are from two different angles to introduce people-to-people

relationships: the Chinese in Africa and the Africans in China.

Africans in China

China and Africa have a long-standing affinity, but as a result of South-South

mobility and low-end globalization, there is a group of Africans in China who are

known as ‘migratory bird merchants. They had only intended to visit China for a brief

business trip, but their totally self-centered behavior resulted in the birth of an

anthropology hotspot, and their exposure to Africa in Guangzhou also provided a

distinctive Chinese experience.(Jin, X., Bolt, G., & Hooimeijer, P. 2021) However,

despite the fact that many academics are shocked by this ethnic enclave, they

downplay the tragic circumstances that led to its creation. Although Xiao Bei

provided us with a minuscule window through which to view the dynamics of

interpersonal relationships, in my opinion, he was a unique being. We should focus

more on the causes of Xiaobei because it is not the only place that exists, including

Foshan, Yongping Village in Guangzhou, Yiwu in Zhejiang, etc.

‘Some property managers rented their home to an African half a year ago, and when

they checked it half a year later, they found seven or eight Africans crammed into a

room’. (Carrier. N & Mathews.G. 2020). These Africans in China were thus

temporarily protected by the invisibility of Xiaobei. In addition, minimizing costs is

another reason for them to choose Xiaobei. Xiaobei from the high price of Guangzhou
business circle or an rural-urban fringe. Nothing is more crucial for businessmen that

come to this country to make a living than cost management. Street sellers

everywhere may simply provide food, as Roberto demonstrates. Restaurant owners in

this city are changing their menus to include chicken, fish, and rice that are better

suited to African tastes. Even roadside vendors are ‘Africanizing’ barbeque grills by

using whole chickens or fish instead of fish skewers. As a result, it also led to

disorganized and filthy sanitation among the little north's street sellers. （ Huang,

2019）. So, in order to spruce up the neighborhood and prepare for the gentrification

of the village within the city, the municipal administration in Xiaobei started an urban

renewal project in 2014. (Wilczak, J. 2018) Particularly after the covid-19, many

Africans were evacuated, and these ‘Three illegal’ individuals were returned home.

Many of them chose not to go back to Xiaobei because of expensive plane tickets,

strict quarantine rules, and visa issues. Some academics find the Africans have moved

to Yiwu, which is the largest wholesale market for small goods in the world. The

Africans in Guangzhou are also the model for China-Africa ties. Firstly, it is

important to consider how to make it possible for Africans to engage in lawful trade

with Chinese citizens. Promote black African Americans' integration within the

community. Second, it is important to support the foreign floating population

management department and the current public service system in order to adequately

serve black people of African descent in terms of cultural events, life services, and the

provision of essential information.

As in the symposium presentation, Roberto Castillo Bautista from Lingnan University

introduced the research he carried out while studying for his PHD ’Xiaobei: a

complex Sino-African site of anthropological knowledge production (and extraction)’

In this symposium, Roberto visited the African neighborhood of Xiaobei in

Guangzhou and used a video to describe in detail how he looked for it there in

2011.The initial phases of Roberto's video's quest for these Africans were not without

difficulty. It appears that such a location does not exist in this busy metropolis, which

is also one of Xiaobei's traits, concealment. Many Africans who travel to China on

brief business visits do so with one-month-only business or tourism visas. However,

when their visas expire, it becomes more difficult to renew them, and they are

compelled to become unregistered. Only their partner who have rented a property may

they turn to in order to escape inspection and not be able to rent a house owing to visa

issues.

Chinese in Africa

In Nicholas Loubere’s presentation (2023), Transformative Encounters: Reciprocal

Flows and the Chinese Gold Rush in Ghana, has introduced the influence of Chinese

gold mining activities in Ghana. According to Professor Loubere’s findings, there are

contributions and conflicts in the Chinese gold rush in Ghana.

In terms of contributions, gold mining activities have provided a number of economic

perspective benefits to the locals. Firstly, as gold mining needs lots of human

resources to work and there are not enough laborers from China, local Ghanaians can

gain the job opportunities in the mines and higher salaries. Secondly, many laborers,

some relevant managers and their relatives live in gold mines, therefore the commerce

around the mines such as restaurants, stores, clinics, and so on has developed quickly
and these commercial activities can promote the local economy to grow and develop

to a certain degree. Moreover, because of the Chinese gold mining activities, gold

resources in rural areas can be in the circulation that can increase the gold supplement

in the market. Last but not least, as more and more Chinese workers and investors

have been to Ghana and some Ghanaians have been out of poverty, the investment in

neo-business in Ghana has been more than before and also has created other new job

opportunities for local citizens. Moreover, as the Ghanaians and Chinese have lived

and worked together, and the intercultural communication has appeared and enhanced

because of these two different ethnic groups’ communication.

In terms of conflicts, the gold mining industry has created problems for Ghana.

Although the gold miners run by the Chinese have provided employment for the

locals, the high-income and critical positions are still occupied by Chinese. It means

that most part of the profits is earned by the Chinese. Meanwhile, the local villagers

lose their land to plant coconut and other crops because of the gold mining and these

villagers lose their income anymore. The gold mining activities also have caused a

series of political issues. In Ghana, it is illegal for foreigners to run or work in

medium and small scale gold miners. In order to gain the permission from the

government, the Chinese usually corporates with the local officials or malevolent

forces, and this motivation causes corruption and crime in Ghana. Moreover, some

Chinese investors choose to cooperate with militias or armed forces, and they cause

military conflicts. And this is one of the reasons why many Ghanaians are still in

poverty though there are a number of gold mines.

In Professor Xu Liang's report on Chinese chiefs in Africa, it was introduced that

there are currently 24 Chinese chiefs in Africa, and the scope of these Chinese chiefs

can be divided into four types, such as infrastructure chiefs, as well as community

leader chiefs, individual merchant chiefs, education and cultural chiefs, them He was

appointed chief for his great contribution to Africa's infrastructure. According to the

study, Africans' perceptions of Chinese chiefs are generally positive, especially when

it comes to infrastructure chiefs and community-led chiefs, but there is also some

controversy and public debate, such as whether Chinese chiefs need to fulfill their

duties. But these questions are not necessarily aimed at the Chinese themselves but

are of common concern to Chinese and foreign leaders.

The "African chieftaincy system" is a political system with a deep historical and

cultural foundation in African society and an important part of African social and

political life. African chiefs still play an important role in modern politics,

maintaining social stability, promoting development, mediating disputes and having a

positive impact on modern politics and democracy, but the chieftaincy system still has

some limitations and challenges.

In summary, the African chieftaincy system is still important in modern society, but it

also faces many challenges and limitations. While safeguarding traditional culture, it

is also necessary to attach importance to democracy and the rule of law, strengthen the

legitimacy and transparency of the chieftaincy system, and thus enhance the

modernization and democracy of the chieftaincy system. The African chieftaincy

system has a unique historical and cultural background and has had a profound

influence on the economic, political and social development of Africa. At the same

time, however, the existence of the African chieftaincy system also faces many
challenges and problems, and African countries need to protect and inherit their own

culture, learn from the lessons of other countries, and achieve economic and social

development through reform and innovation. Finally, it can be seen that the

dissemination of media and the realization of the African dream will encourage more

Chinese to go to Africa, thereby further strengthening the ties between the two

peoples and strengthening the effective way of China-Africa friendship.

Peer article review

In Xin Jin, Gideon Bolt and Pieter Hooimeijer (2021) research essay, there is from

different perspectives to describe the China and Africa people to people relationship.

This article discusses the circumstance of Africans in Guangzhou Xiaobei and

Sanyuanli. From 1990 to 2008, the number of Africans grew up every year as the

international trade industry in Guangzhou developed quickly. Xiaobei and Sanyuanli

gathered a wide range of small goods such as clothing, hardware, auto parts and

leather products, so it was convenient for Africans to run their business.

After 2008, however, the amount of African has been going down as some reasons.

Firstly, from economic aspect, the purchasing cost in China and the global economic

crisis in 2008 have let some Africans decided to move their business back to Africa.

Secondly, from political perspective, the restriction policy for foreigners has become

the most serious challenge for Africans living in Guangzhou. China's household

registration system is a huge challenge for Africans living and working illegally in

Guangzhou, and local police are ready to investigate and remove these illegal

Africans. At the same time, the Guangzhou government has also severely restricted
local landlords from renting out houses to Africans, especially in urban villages,

which has led some people to move out of Guangzhou and even China under cost

pressure.

Compared to the Chinese in Xiaobei, both Africans in China and Chinese in Africa

face similar problems and challenges. In economics aspect, they are all facing the risk

of their properties’ safety. The government policies’ change usually brings some

uncertain factors to their anticipation and economic losses. In political perspective, as

most of African in China and Chinese in Ghana are illegal working and living in the

local, they usually face the problem of host country’s expulsion or detention.

It can be seen that Africans in China cannot have deep exchanges with Chinese

residents, and the treatment of Chinese chiefs in Africa is completely different, one of

the main reasons is that Chinese chiefs in Africa generally have a view of Africa's

economy, culture, and culture infrastructure construction has made outstanding

contributions, effectively promoted Africa's development, regarded Africa as its

second home, and devoted itself wholeheartedly. And Chinese chiefs are usually

senior government officials or business tycoons in African countries, and they have a

high political, economic and social status in African countries. Africans in China, on

the other hand, are usually ordinary African citizens, students, businessmen or migrant

workers, and their status and role are relatively low. Africans in places such as

Xiaobei, Guangzhou, China, use it as a transit point for migrants, and their long-term

commitment and influence are relatively small, and they have no particular impact on

China's development, and even cause social security problems such as public security.

Moreover, because China's overall social atmosphere is relatively conservative,

Africans in China are often regarded as an alien group, so most Africans will live in

specific areas or communities, such as Sanyuanli and Xiaobei in Guangzhou.

The prejudice against Africans in the overall social environment still exists, which

also leads to discrimination and exclusion of Africans in China, which in turn affects

their communication with Chinese residents, resulting in a situation that is

diametrically opposed to the situation in Africa Chinese.

Conclusion

Some Chinese, for instance Chinese chief, have made a positive influence on Sino-

Afro people-to-people relationship. While, from economic or cultural perspective,

China and Africa still have many conflicts when two different ethnic groups live and

work together. If we can’t deal with the conflicts well, they may cause negative

influence to China and African countries foreign relationship. Therefore, China and

African countries’ government should not only focus on official interaction, but also

promote civil communication. In a word, China and African countries still have long

way to improve people-to-people relationship.

Reference

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Nairobi, and Xiaobei, Guangzhou, as sites of south-south migration. Migration and

Society, 3 (1), 98–112.

Huang, G. (2019). Policing blacks in Guangzhou: how public security constructs

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Wilczak, J. (2018). “Clean, safe and orderly”: Migrants, race and city image in global

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Debrah, E., & Asante, R.. (2019). Sino-Ghana bilateral relations and Chinese

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