Hegemonic Political Discourse: China’s African Policy 2006 and China’s African Policy 2015

Abstract

China’s African Policy 2006 and China’s African Policy 2015 have acted as a guide for China’s actions in Africa. The aim of this chapter is to illustrate clearly that the hegemonic political discourse (HPD) is present and dominant in both policies, and that the three key actors of China’s foreign-policy process towards Africa have interpreted the HPDs in the two policies in different ways, resulting in conflict during implementation due to divergence on what each deems to be the direction of the policies. To achieve this aim, this chapter is divided into three sections: The first illustrates that the HPD is present and dominant in China’s African Policy 2006 and China’s African Policy 2015. The second section shows how three chosen key actors—the MFA, MOFCOM, and the MCC—have interpreted these policies and outlines the objectives and bureaucratic turf of each of these actors in Africa. The third section demonstrates that a process of bureaucratic politics occurs in China’s actions in Africa and illustrates where and why the actors come into conflict with one another during the implementation of their diverging interpretations of the two African policies.