An Expectable Win-win For China, America, and Africa
时间：2014-08-12 14:05:33 作者： 来源：
Africa is very large with countless opportunities. America and China have different competitive edges and the economic and trade as well as investment activities of America and China in Africa could result in a win-win situation among America, China, and Africa.
The First U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit fell its curtain on 6th. During this summit, America and Africa reached a total of over $33 billion of new economic and trade cooperation plans, which highlighted the vital status of U.S.-Africa economic and trade connections.
According to analysts, this summit indicated the augment of USA in economic and trade cooperation field to Africa. As well as America pursuing China in related sectors, China, America, and Africa seized opportunities in order to achieve a win-win prospect, which especially deserved expectations.
Large Influence of the New Economic and Trade Cooperation
The newly economic and trade cooperation plan promoted by USA and Africa is divided into three parts: American and African enterprises reached over $14 billion bills in clear energy, aviation, and banking industries; American government will encourage American enterprises to increase the credit line by $7 billion for export and investment to Africa; American private sectors, the World Bank, and Swedish government jointly promise to increase capital of $12 billion to the aid package named "Power Africa" launched by American government last year.
In the press conference for the conclusion of the summit on 6th, American President Obama said that the new economic and trade cooperation plan would facilitate the development of Africa and provide tens of thousands of positions for employment for America.
Despite promoting the new economic and trade cooperation plan, Obama also signed an administrative order on 5th for organizing a President's Advisory Council for Business in Africa composed by less than 15 people from private sectors, which would provide information and policy suggestions for trade and investment to Africa for American president.
In this summit, American business field showed great interests for strengthening cooperation with Africa. At the USA-Africa Business Forum held during the summit, all CEOs from major American companies like Wal-Mart, Coca Cola, and IBM, etc, showed up.
Richard Downey, the deputy director of Africa Project of Center For Strategic And International Studies (CSIS) told the correspondent from Xinhua News that the new economic and trade cooperation plan conveyed a message to the outside: American government and enterprises finally look Africa with quite different eyes, which is not only a continent in need of assistance but also a continent of opportunities.
According to the data provided by the White House, over the past decade, the economic growth in Africa has remained over 5%, with 6 African countries among 10 in the world with top-speed economic growth, and the middle class in Africa has been enlarging. And the data also indicated that last year in America, the total amount of goods and service exports to Africa has hit the record of $50.2 billion, 40% larger than that in 2009, which supported 250 thousand positions for American employment.
Difficulty for USA-Africa Cooperation to Catch up with China-Africa Cooperation
Though the export of America to Africa has been growing, for recent year, the general trade between America and Africa presents a falling tendency. According to data, the trade volume for goods dominating in America-Africa trade in 2011 was $125 billion, which fell to around $99 in 2012 and to about $85 billion in 2013.
Sun Yun, a researcher of East Asia Project of Stimson Center, USA, estimated in accordance the total volume of trade in goods between USA and Africa for the first 5 months this year that the total volume of trade in goods between USA and Africa would be less than $80 billion. Simultaneously, China-Africa economic and trade relation is developing rapidly. China replaced America as the biggest trade partner for Africa in 2009, with China-Africa trade volume breaking $200 billion in 2013, and China-Africa trade is expected to reach around $400 billion in 2020.
The major goods for America-Africa trade were crude oil, while since the financial crisis, with the consumption of crude oil in USA having not been recovered the level ahead of the crisis and the addition of by the vast exploitation for shale oil and gas domestically, the import for crude oil in America has been dropped constantly, pointed Sun Yun. It is said that, from 2008 to 2013, the oil and natural gas exported to America from Africa in compliance with the African Growth and Opportunity Act of USA reduced by 66%. African Growth and Opportunity Act took effect in 2000, which allows 41 Sub-Saharan African countries to export most goods to America with zero tariffs. Michael Froman, a trade representative of America, indicated that this act had covered 97.5% of all tariff items in USA, which would lay a finger on the most sensitive field like agricultural products if it was continued enlarging, which would be quite difficult.
The Win-win Possibility for China, America, and Africa
According to analysts, China and America have mutual benefits and huge space for cooperation in many aspects, like promoting peace and security for African areas, resolving conflicts, improving economic and social administration, etc. During the expansion of economic and trade activities for China and America in Africa, a win-win situation among three sides, China, America, and Africa, could be achieved indeed.
According to Downey, he did not believe that America would regard Africa as a place for competition with China. Fundamentally speaking, China and America have the same interest in Africa, which both hope for a peace and secure environment in Africa where market could be developed and economy could be prospect.
Sun Yun told the correspondent that it was not suitable to use zero-sum thinking to judge the influence to the third party of America-Africa economic and trade cooperation. If the project invested by America was beneficial, other parts should provide strong supports. Sun Yun set an example that Marriott Hotel and Coca Cola production line planned to be built in Africa would not have direct conflicts with the commercial benefits of other countries. The improvement to electronic infrastructure in Africa brought by the project of "Power Africa" would also benefit investments from every aspect in Africa.
Downey pointed out that Africa was very big with countless opportunities. America and China have different competitive edges and the economic and trade as well as investment activities of America and China in Africa could result in a win-win situation among America, China, and Africa.
