Sanou Mbaye: China misreads the future of relations with Africa by misconstruing the past

China's sacred text is not a holy book such as the Bible, Koran or Torah. Instead, it is The Art of War by Sun-Tzu, whose core belief is that the "ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting".

So it is no surprise that cunning and deception form an essential part of Chinese diplomatic and corporate culture. Indeed, down the ages they have served as the touchstone for Chinese leaders' survival and success.

Nowadays, we are witnessing the application of Sun's ideas in Africa, where China's objectives are to secure energy and minerals to fuel its economic expansion, open up new markets, consolidate its global authority, and seize African-allocated export quotas.

Astutely, China has sought to place its African investments and diplomacy within the context of the old non-aligned movement and "Bandung spirit," an era when many Africans viewed China as a oppressed brother.

In trying to depict its current dealings with Africa as "win-win" co-operation, China deliberately seeks to portray Africa's relations with the West as exploitative.

What the Chinese are silent about is that growing engagement in Africa has created both opportunities and risks for African development. Although China's trade, foreign direct investment, and aid may broaden Africa's growth options, they also promote a win-lose situation.

Excluding oil, Africa has a negative trade balance with China. Making matters worse, African exports to China are even less technology-intensive than its exports to the world. China's share of Africa's unprocessed primary products was more than 80 per cent of its total imports from Africa.

The level of Chinese investment flowing into Africa at present is staggering. But this is bundled together with concessional loans, and there is much double-counting, with the same ventures being recorded both as aid flows and investment inflows. Given the heavy volume of concessionary loans provided by China, concern about African countries' future debt burden is growing. And no matter how much China publicises its record in Africa, the greatest contributor of financial inflows to the continent is the African diaspora.

Indeed, South Africa, not China, is the country making the largest investments in the rest of Africa.

China's credo of "non-interference in domestic affairs" and "separation of business and politics" is music to the ears of African leaders, who sing the praises of Chinese co-operation.

Chinese leaders pride themselves on taking a long-term view of home development but, in siding with the same breed of corrupt leaders that colluded with Africa's previous invaders and exploiters, seem to have forgotten that ordinary Africans, though often their own worst enemies, usually get the upper hand in the end.• Sanou Mbaye, a Senegalese banker, is a former member of the senior management team of the African Development Bank.