Kenya’s and Zambia’s Relations with China 1949-2019
Title Details

260 Pages

23.4 x 15.6 cm

2 maps, 10 b/w and 6 line illus.

Series: Eastern Africa Series

Series Vol. Number: 57

Imprint: James Currey

Kenya's and Zambia's Relations with China 1949-2019

by Jodie Yuzhou Sun

  • Description
  • Contents
  • Author
  • Reviews
Examines the history of post-colonial Kenya's and Zambia's relations with the People's Republic of China from ideological, political, economic and social perspectives.

Africa has become a major platform from which to analyse and understand China's growing influence in the global South. Yet, the impact of their historical relationship has been largely overlooked. Through the triangulation of the global Cold War, African history, and Chinese history, this study provides a detailed analysis of China-Africa relations in the second half of the 20th century. Examining the encounters, conflicts, and dynamics of China-Kenya/Zambia relations from the 1950s until the present, as well as the basis on which historical narratives have been constructed, the book presents two contrasting state perspectives underlining the concept of 'African agency'.
Driven by a class-based analysis of world revolution, Communist China's foreign policy did not distinguish significantly between Kenya and Zambia. Both countries sought ideological and material support from China in the years after their independence. The Kenya African National Union under both Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi pursued a consistently pragmatic foreign agenda, and despite political tensions and ideological rifts with China since the mid-1960s, Sino-Kenyan trade has continued to grow steadily. In contrast, China-Zambia relations under Kenneth Kaunda were cordial despite their political differences. Zambian leaders maintained a relatively high consensus that any alleged Chinese Communist threat would not be allowed to fuel power struggles within their United National Independence Party. Challenging both the widely accepted role of China-Africa's historical lineage, as well as the tendency to assume uniformity in China's relationships across the continent, the author explains the development of these relationships and sheds light on the historical underpinnings - or lack thereof - on contemporary China-Africa relations.
Introduction
1. Decolonisation, the Cold War and Afro-Asian Solidarity: China, Kenya and Zambia at a Crossroads, 1949-1964
2. Caught in-between: Kenya's Foreign Policy and its Relations with China, 1964-1975
3. 'All-Weather Friendship'?: Zambia's Foreign policy and its Relations with China, 1965-1974
4. Political Transition and Multifaceted Engagements: China, Zambia and Kenya in the late 1970s and 1980s
5. China's 'Return' to Africa and the Past in the Present, 1989-2019
Conclusion

JODIE YUZHOU SUN is Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, Fudan University, and Research Fellow of the International Studies Group, University of the Free State. She has published articles in journals including International Journal of African Historical Studies, Cold War History and the Journal of Southern African Studies.

"Sun's book marks an important and exciting contribution to China-Africa studies. The research presented here is deeply nuanced and feels somehow personal. As a reader, this is a compelling combination, one that really draws me into the narrative in an engaging way." Ruodi Duan, H-NET

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Title Details

260 Pages

2.34 x 1.56 cm

2 maps, 10 b/w and 6 line illus.

Series: Eastern Africa Series

Series Vol. Number: 57

Imprint: James Currey