Report

AERC Scoping Exercise on China-Africa Relations The Case of Angola

“Angola, for strategic reasons of its own, has no intention of aligning solely with Beijing. Angola is pursuing its own version of non-alignment in favour of its own home grown resource nationalist approach. Indeed in contrast to neighbouring Zimbabwe’s “Look East” policy and despite warm relations between Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe and Angolan President do Santos, China is seen by Angola as an important ally – albeit not a unitary strategic partner – precisely because it diversifies Angola’s source of aid and concessional loans. In addition, while particularly hostile to foreign agencies such as World Bank and IMF attempting to influence domestic economic and fiscal policy, Angola has no intention of alienating the international community completely.”