China–Senegal relations

China–Senegal relations refer to the foreign relations between China and Senegal.

History The earliest Chinese engagement in Africa may date back to as early as the tenth century, but modern diplomatic relations between China and Africa began in the mid-1900s.Chinese land-based interventions in Senegal. Development and Change, 44(2), 429-450. While much of China's growing interest in African countries is linked to natural resource extraction to feed its growing economy, this is not the case for involvement in Senegal, given the country's relatively limited supply of natural resources. China is also looking to accrue international influence by investing and creating infrastructure and markets in Africa, rather than simply giving aid, as Western powers have largely done in the past. For China, Senegal therefore presents an economically strategic location, and an opportunity to establish diplomatic relations in a country that has historically been a force of political stability in the West African region. For Senegal, establishing relations with China has legitimized its role in international affairs, and provided new trade and investment opportunities.

The history of China–Senegal relations has consisted of an alternating Senegalese recognition between the governments of mainland China (PRC) and Taiwan (formerly the ROC). This has largely been a result of Beijing's “One China policy,” in which the PRC required foreign governments to break ties with Taiwan before proceeding in diplomatic relations with the PRC.One Policy for China. Harvard International Review. pp. 20-23. This trend of alternating recognition was common among many African countries and China during the second half of the twentieth century.

Senegal gained independence in 1960 after formerly existing as a French colony, and in September of the same year, Léopold Sédar Senghor became Senegal's first president. Soon after, Senegal established relations with Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. In 1961, Senegal recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC), but the PRC was unwilling to maintain this relationship while Senegal still retained ties with Taiwan. President Senghor stated in 1964 that he did not wish to maintain economic ties with Beijing, but oppositionist groups, including the Senegal African Independence Party, a communist party, were in support of retaining a relationship with Beijing at the time.

In 1971, Senegal voted in favor of the PRC joining the United Nations, a motion which passed. Shortly thereafter, on December 7, 1971. Two years later, in 1973, the PRC and Senegal established trade and economic agreements. These relations lasted until January 1996, when Senegal resumed relations with Taipei and the PRC in turn suspended relations with Senegal. The PRC maintained this suspension until October 2005 when the relationship was restored. In August 2016, current Senegalese President Macky Sall attended the G20 summit in Hangzhou as the leader of a guest country, where he met with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping and said he wanted to push for more independent development in Africa (FOCAC).

China has an embassy located in the Senegal's capital, Dakar, and Zhang Xun is the Chinese ambassador to Senegal (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC). Senegal also has an embassy located in Beijing, and Papa Khalilou Fall is the Senegalese ambassador to the PRC. In 2000, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was established to provide a platform through which Chinese officials could meet with officials of several African states.Reordering International Affairs: The Forum On China-Africa Cooperation. Austral: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations, 1(1), 51-74.

Economic relations

Since the re-establishment of diplomacy between China and Senegal, economic relations between the two countries have rapidly grown. This is part of a widespread Chinese effort to invest in the continent of Africa. China has pledged to no longer passively enter into trade agreements and give aid, but rather be an active investor in the future of Africa. In December 2015, Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion towards African development projects over the next three years. The amount of aid that China has pledged has more than doubled since 2006. To put the immense amount of Chinese aid in perspective, China's Export-Import Bank extended $62.7 billion in loans to African countries between 2001 and 2010, $12.5 billion more than the World Bank.China's Second Continent: How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa. In H. French, China’s Export-Import Bank extended $62.7 billion in loans to African countries between 2001-2010, $12.5 billion more than the World Bank (French 2014) (p. 304). Knopf. Chinese involvement in Senegal is strategic given the growth prospects of the country. Senegal is the second fastest growing economy in West Africa and the fourth fastest in Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. This growth has been propelled by Senegalese government's involvement in specific sectors such as groundnuts, rice and horticultural goods. Additionally, the Port of Dakar is an intersection between Europe, North America, South America and the rest of Africa, and as a result, is one of the largest and most efficient deep-water seaports along the West African coast.African Development Report. (2010). Port Development in Africa. African Bank. The government sentiment and prime location of Senegal make the country an optimal economic partner for a newly minted world power like China which is looking to expand its military, political and economic power across the world in conjunction with other world powers like the European Union and the United States.

Land resources

Aside from natural phosphates and a prominent fishing economy, Senegal is not home to many natural resources. However, their reliance on a developed agricultural industry, which employed 75% of the Senegalese working population as of 2013, is crucial. The current program in place involving joint Chinese and Senegalese agricultural research was initially a partnership established between Senegal and Taiwan but then went under Chinese control with the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in 2005. Agricultural and biological research is funded primarily by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. China's increasing presence on the African continent due to agricultural ventures has been the source of worldwide attraction, especially due to corporate-driven land deals by Chinese businesses, known as “land grabs.” Chinese involvement in Senegal, in particular, was due to an inability to bring in any collaboration efforts from the West according to Former President Abdoulaye Wade. Since the Senegalese government sought to prioritize the development of the country's agricultural industry, and therefore food security for its citizens, international involvement was welcomed by President Wade and his administration. In the beginning, there were many difficulties in the early stages of the project for those participating in the collaboration, due to communication issues, flaws in project designs and overall distrust on both Chinese and Senegalese sides, as crops were not yielding as quickly as predicted leading to frustration on both sides. It seemed that there had not been as much consideration for any socio-cultural education by either party Senegal has since set up a program that which provides over 74,000 acres of land for farming, included with infrastructure for water retention which increases produce yield dramatically. Chinese agriculturalists have also returned to China to implement techniques learned in Senegal to the country's farms and agricultural land. Since land in Senegal, and the continent of Africa overall, is considered mineral-rich and unexploited, in the view of China, Chinese agricultural techniques should be implemented to not only feed China but increase the global supply of food as a whole. Even with this international cooperation, the Senegalese government still prioritized natives over Chinese foreigners when selling and providing land.

Trade

China is now Senegal's second largest trading partner, second only to the European Union as of 2015.European Union, Trade in goods with Senegal. European Union. Trade flows between the two countries are unbalanced. Senegal's imports averaged $349 million annually from China, while China imported $26B as Senegalese exports to China tripled between 2000 and 2005. China's top imports from Senegal include raw materials such as ground nuts and their byproducts, and titanium ore. On the other hand, Senegal's top imports from China primarily include technology and infrastructure-related products including telephones, large construction vehicles, steel and delivery trucks What does China export to Senegal? Retrieved April 29, 2017, from http://atlas.media.mit.edu/: http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/visualize/tree_map/hs92/export/chn/sen/show/2015/ The composition of trading goods is a leading indicator of the state of economic relations between the two countries: China as a world economic powerhouse using its resources to invest in Senegal as an up and comer in a rising Africa. The Chinese presence is prominent in trade as Senegal Peche, the largest commercial fishing and shipping enterprise, is now a subsidiary of the China National Fisheries Association, a state-owned multi-national fishing corporation to large infrastructure projects that include building a new international airport in a newly developed urban center to Diamniadio.

Senegalese sentiment

The economic exchange between the two countries has been largely welcomed by Senegalese citizens and government. In recently conducted surveys, 65 percent Senegalese citizens responded to the question, “Is China’s economic and political influence positive or negative?” with “somewhat positive” or “very positive”. Additionally, when asked about the usefulness of Chinese economic activities in their countries, 54 percent of Senegalese citizens responded Chinese developmental assistance as being “somewhat/very good job” China's Growing Presence in Africa Wins Largely Positive Popular Views. The government favors Chinese presence due to the availability to credit. While there is little official information available about the amount and nature of Chinese investment in Senegal. Through interviews from Senegalese government officials, the Chinese government offers short and long-term loans with the highest interest rates being at two percent, relatively low compared to other funding sources. The option of these loans have improved infrastructure among other projects in Senegal.

Long-term investments

The majority of China's private business is concentrated in Senegal's capital of Dakar, which has grown so rapidly that Senegal is building a new city funded by China and its CGC Overseas Construction Group. The new infrastructure project is a response to increasing prices which have pushed out the middle class. The new city has a new highway connecting the new city of Diamniadio and the capital of Dakar and plans for a new international airport. Diamniadio currently has a population of 30,000, but it is expected to expand tenfold by 2019 as a result of this project. China's investment Senegal is not limited to financing the large infrastructure projects, but also skills-training. As Chinese construction companies have sprung up in the country, training schools have risen alongside building the skills capacity in the country. Like many Chinese economic phenomena, this is not unique to Senegal. At the 2017 African Development Week, executive secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation, Emmanuel Nnadoize, noted the importance of Chinese-led skills training on the continent.

Sovereignty issues