THE CHALLENGE AND PROSPECT OF TRANSFORMING FORUM FOR CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION INTO ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT: CHINA-AFRICA TRADE IN FOCUS

Abstract

The title of the thesis is: “The Challenge and Prospect of Transforming Forum for China- Africa Cooperation into Economic Partnership Agreement: China-Africa Trade in Focus”. The China-Africa economic cooperation in general and promotion of trade in particular is institutionalized under FOCAC - a platform of dialogue convened triennially for setting future issues of cooperation - taking new commitments [including financing] and evaluating implementation of previous one. The trade relationship is ballooning that since 2009 China became Africa’s largest trading partner, however, their engagement under the auspices of FOCAC is marked by departure from mainstream global trading regime filled by South-South economic cooperation principles, at least at rhetorical level. The principles which undergird the cooperation are not backed by normative legal framework, in a manner which reinforces the aspiration of Africa’s economic integration, however, both Africa and China side planned in 2015 to consider FTA potential. So far the partnership poses both opportunities and challenges to African integration. The challenges mainly emanate from internal deficiency in African Regional Economic Communities such as over overlapping membership, lack of coordination; nonetheless, Chinese “divide and deal” approach with individual, the demand from EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement for MFN treatment in case African countries entered into reciprocal Free Trade Area with developing countries [obviously China is the major concern], poses a major challenge both for African integration and China-Africa the supposed EPA. The major proposal of this thesis lies on the need to develop a special normative framework [at least in the form of model agreements], which serves as springboard and starting point for external engagements [with China for the case at hand] including at WTO, in order to counter balance the adverse effect of the gap between continental integration aspiration with lagging achievements so far. In effect, means reserving the process of integration as an internal issue and/or at least minimizing external intervention from entangling, redirecting for their self-interest and sometimes setting agenda of the process.