Sino-African Relations: Challenging Theoretical Perspectives with Specific Reference to Sino-Namibian Relations

With specific reference to Namibia, this paper argues that neither structural theories nor constructivism on its own provides a comprehensive understanding of Sino-African relations. Thus, a synthesis of realism and dependency paradigms is proposed as providing the best explanation of Sino-African relations. Using secondary documents, the paper shows that China has always pursued its economic interests and aspirations at the expense of African states. While China has disproportionately gained from Sino-African relations, African states have only gained marginally, and their national economies and societies remain largely untransformed. Situations such as these sustain dependency. The paper recommends the deepening of relations in areas such as manufacturing and value-addition of primary commodities, which can lead to significant transformation of the national economies of African states.