Affiliated Network for Social Accountability (ANSA-Africa)

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COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

ANSA-Africa is a project of the Economic Governance Programme, IDASA

Publications

China-U.S. Trilateral Dialogue
13 September 2007
Council on Foreign Relations (New York)

The following is a summary of the Africa-China-U.S. Trilateral Dialogue, co-sponsored by the Brenthurst Foundation, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Leon Sullivan Foundation meetings in South Africa, China, and the United States in August 2006 and March and September 2007.

Introduction

Over the course of the last thirteen months, delegates from Africa, China and the United States have met three times in an effort to identify strategies of cooperation among their respective nations with the goal of accelerating economic development in Africa. The meetings were held in Tswalu, South Africa in August 2006, in Beijing, in March 2007 and in Washington in September 2007.

The Trilateral Dialogue is a unique initiative. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the discussions which have taken place.

The Trilateral Dialogue process is in no way complete. There are issues that are still under discussion and there are other issues on which we have noted areas of divergence. Nevertheless, there has been a great deal of convergence, and that is what we want to share at this time in the hopes that we might stimulate other initiatives that will benefit Africa.

Areas of Agreement

There is no strategic conflict between the U.S. and China in Africa, and there is no zero-sum dynamic between the two countries.
Closely related to this is the African perspective that it is essential to avoid another scramble for Africa.
There are divergent interests between the U.S. and China in Africa and they can be reconciled to Africa’s benefit. It was also noted that there is no reason that China and the U.S. will cooperate automatically.
Business competition between the U.S. and China will take place in Africa but that by definition is not necessarily a negative, especially when new technologies are shared with Africans, skills are imported into Africa and jobs are created.
There was agreement that the U.S. and China are important commercial partners for Africa and that both can be helpful in the mobilization for capital and debt relief.
When it comes to energy, there was agreement on the need for the security of supply and stability of price. There was also a general consensus that Africa could benefit from all partners, especially the U.S. and China, agreeing on a framework to ensure that the revenue from these resources genuinely contributes to economic development and stronger institutions.
Africa will have to rely on exploiting its natural resources and using the revenues from these resources more productively for social and economic development. China and the U.S. can best assist by strengthening institutions to ensure that these resources are accounted for and invested in human and national development.
There was also agreement that we have to be careful not to look at Africa exclusively through the lens of energy production and consumption. At the same time, it was noted that the global interest in Africa has never been higher, and that it is vital that this attention is seized for Africa’s long-term benefit.
Related to this point was the comment made by the Chinese delegation that not all have benefited equally from globalization. It is the responsibility of the world to support Africa but, at the same time, Africa has to adapt to increased globalization.
Given the increased international attention on Africa and the democratic and economic reforms that have taken place across the continent, it was agreed that African countries have a unique opportunity to “own” their decisions over development.
All delegations agreed that peace and security are prerequisites for stability and economic development.
There was also agreement that all countries affirmed their “responsibility to protect” against genocide and crimes against humanity, and that there are a number of UN and African Union (AU) conventions and principles which need to be observed.
All delegates welcomed that Africa has taken great strides forward in the area of democracy, as illustrated by the success of the AU, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, and the African Peer Review Mechanism. The refusal by the AU to recognize unconstitutional seizures of power is another significant development underscoring the trend to democracy.