The Political Economy of Sino–South African Trade and Regional Competition

✍ Scribed by Bhaso Ndzendze

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2022
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 228
• Series: International Political Economy Series
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book comparatively examines the China–South Africa trade relationship over three decades through the prism of four other relationships South Africa has with states that have been China’s most contentious neighbours in the Indo-Pacific (India, Japan, Taiwan and the USA). Asia is widely expected to be the new economic centre of gravity in international relations, particularly for trade. Yet despite the story of growth for both it and its neighbours, China ranks above all these countries in terms of trade partnership with South Africa and a majority of states across the globe. This poses a puzzle answerable only through in-depth analysis. In this way, this pathbreaking new book uses quantitative data to test commonly held assumptions about the ‘new scramble for Africa’ and shines a light on the driving forces, interests and sources of agency in South Africa’s trade and foreign policies over the past three decades. The findings allow for the deduction of general patterns applicable to South Africa and peer economies, some of whom are benchmarked throughout the book for comparative insights.

✦ Table of Contents

About This Book
Contents
Chronology of Key Events
Abbreviations and Note on Currency
Abbreviations
Note on Currency
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction: Differentiated Engagement
1.1 Literature: Portrait of the Global Economy’s New Center of Gravity
China’s Demographic Challenge
The “Japanese Scenario”: What Worries China
The Problem with the Two-Child Policy
The Global Implications of Asia’s Rise
Beijing Over Others: The Pre-Eminence of China in South African Foreign and Trade Policies
Post-1994 South Africa’s Foreign and Trade Policies
South Africa and the Emerging World
1.2 Summary and Chapter Outline
References
2 China and the Contemporary Asian Balance
2.1 Introduction
2.2 China’s Foreign Policy Toolkit
2.3 China’s Regional Rivalries
Taiwan
India and Japan
Territorial Disputes
The United States
Prospects: Agreeing to Disagree?
Regional Responsibility and Trade—The Other Achilles’ Heels?
The Nuclear Factor
The Limits of Coalition
Relevance to Relations with South Africa
References
3 Taiwan: The International Political Economy of the One China Policy
3.1 Background
3.2 South Africa Between China and Taiwan: A Review
3.3 Methodology
3.4 Results
3.5 Analysis
3.6 Conclusion
References
4 Japan: Economically Hot, Politically Cold
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Background
4.3 Literature Review: China and Japan’s Relations with Africa
4.4 Methodology
Variables
Caveats
4.5 Case Study Analyses
Dataset Description
Country-Specific Data: South Africa
Country-Specific Data: Kenya
Country-Specific Data: Uganda
4.6 Analysis of Findings
A Non-zero Sum Game: General Findings Discussed
4.7 Conclusion
References
5 India: Between Two Southern Powers
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Literature Review
Perceptions of Competition Between China and India
5.3 Methodology
Hypotheses
5.4 Results
5.5 Analysis
Assessing the Balance of Trade
A Test of Inverse Correlations
5.6 Conclusion
References
6 United States: An Imaginary Scramble for Markets?
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Literature Review
A New Scramble for Africa?
South Africa and Kenya: Between the US and China?
6.3 Methodology
Variables
Caveats
6.4 Case Study Analyses
Dataset Description
Country-Specific Data: South Africa
Country-Specific Data: Kenya
6.5 Analysis of Findings
General Findings Discussed
6.6 Conclusion
References
7 The European Union: Brexit Aftermaths and Divergent Futures
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Literature
7.3 Methods
Caveats
7.4 Data
7.5 Analysis
Electrical Machinery
Ceramic Products
Total Exports
7.6 Discussion: Findings and Implications
7.7 Conclusion
References
8 The Politics and Future of Differentiated Engagement
8.1 Theoretical Implications
8.2 Policy Implications
8.3 Policy Observations
References
Appendices
Appendix A: A Simple Game Theory Model of Asia–Pacific Competition and Its Implications for South Africa
Appendix B: Historical Evolution of South African Rand per US Dollar, 1970/01/01 to 2018/12/31
Bibliography
Index