Changing relationships Flashcards
Low income countries could have new relationships with emerging powers. What is the example of this?
China’s interest in Sub-Saharan Africa, the world’s least developed region.
What is China’s interest in Sub-Saharan Africa based on?
Exploiting Africa’s abundant and undeveloped physical resources:
Copper ore in Zambia
Crude oil in Angola, Sudan and Chad
Coltan (used in mobile phones) from the DRC
What are the opportunities of the new Chinese-African relationship?
China-Africa relations are based on trade, not ex-colonial ties.
Chinese mines and factories bring jobs and raise incomes and GDP.
In order to develop mining and factory investment, China has invested huge sums in HEP, railways, ports and roads - which can be used more widely China-Africa trade was worth $200 billion 2016, a huge sum for a developing region.
What are the challenges of the new Chinese-African relationship?
Countries without natural resources China wants are left out.
Many jobs are actually done by Chinese migrant labour who number over 1 million.
Mining and oil exploitation risks causing deforestation, oil spills and water consumption.
Cheap Chinese imported goods have undercut some local African producers, especially of textiles.
Africa’s economic model is still cheap raw material exports, and expensive manufactured imports.
What is interdependence?
Interdependence exists when one country or region relies, to a large degree, on another to ensure its economic prosperity.
How are India and China ideological rivals?
India is the world’s largest democracy, whereas China is a communist dictatorship.
What is the problem with the Indian-Chinese border?
Parts are disputed e.g. Tawang, which led to conflict in 1962, 1967 and 1987.
Why is China’s relationship with Pakistan significant regarding India?
China has created a strong economic alliance with Pakistan focused on the Chinese investment in CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), but Pakistan and India have tense, often antagonistic relations.
How does China have the upper-hand in terms of economics with India?
India has a large trade deficit with China.
What is a trade deficit?
A trade deficit exists when a country imports from another country more than it exports to that country.
How are India and China increasingly rivals in outer space, nuclear and naval?
Both have advanced space programmes. The rocket technology from this also helps develop their nuclear missile technology. Both have an aircraft carrier, and both are building more - demonstrating they have regional if not global, naval ambitions.
The Middle East contains how much of the proven oil reserves?
60%
The Middle East is an area of tension and conflict for what reasons?
Most Muslim countries are hostile to the Jewish state of Israel: Iran has vowed to destroy it, but the USA is a key ally of Israel.
Religious differences between Sunni (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey) and Shia (Iran, Iraq, Lebanon) branches of the Muslim religion are a source of conflict between and sometimes within countries.
Since 2011, the rise of the extremist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has created war, terrorism and a refugee crisis.
The Kurdish people are demanding their own state.
Since 2015 a civil war has raged in Yemen, which has involved Saudi Arabia directly and the USA indirectly.
