Superpowers - EQ3 - 7.8 Flashcards
Between 2000 and 2014, China invested $………. in ………… projects in African Nations
- 86 billion
- 3,000
Explain the reasons for Chinese Investment in Africa
-resources
- To secure repliable supply of raw materials for Chinese industries development:
- Africa is resource-rich e.g 75% of coltan, which is used in mobile phones
- A third of China’s investments are in mining
What are 3 reasons for Chinese Investment in Africa
-economic growth
- To develop African countries as a market for Chinese products
- Many African nations are seeing rapid economic growth
What are 3 reasons for Chinese Investment in Africa
-influence
- To increase China’s global political influence
- Investments in military technology and infrastructure gives China significant influence over these African countries
- Chinese investment projects in Africa
Give 2 examples of China’s large scale investment in transport
The Nairobi Expressway in Kenya
Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port in Djibouti
Why had China made large investment in transport
to improve efficiency of resource exploitation and exports of undeveloped physical resoruces
Give examples of major African Infrastructure Projects based on Chinese Investment
Define colonial
- refers to the direct control exerted over territories conquered mainly by the European powers in the period 1600-1900
- the foreign administrators rule the territory in pursuit of their interests, seeking to benefit from the colonised region’s people and resources
Define Neo-colonial
- The indirect actions by which developed countries exercise a degree of control over less developed countries
- This can be achieved through varied means including conditions attached to aid and loans, cultural influence and military or economic
How is investment in Africa affecting China’s status as a superpower status - economic
- source of raw materials/resources and market for products is fuelling China’s (lagging) economic growth
How is investment in Africa affecting China’s status as a superpower status - military
- China is its expanding its Djibouti naval base to accept aircraft carriers (original developed to support the Chinese anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden but has expanded to include capabilities to serve as a logistical resupply hub)
- Contributions to UN peacekeeping forces (2,550) in countries where it has an economic interest (South Sudan-1,000, Sudan, DRC, Mali)
How is investment in Africa affecting China’s status as a superpower status - political
- Significant dependency of several African countries due to export of raw materials and debt repayments (potential to take control of key infrastructure)
- Support for China in IGOs (Africa is the biggest single bloc of votes at the UN General Assembly) – offering scholarships to African leaders
When was China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) started
2013
The concurrent rise of China and India has increased their geopolitical influence. Both are keen to………………….. to reflect the new balance of power.
reform global governance institutions
How have China and India both been part of reforming global governance institutions to reflect the new balance of power
- This is evidenced through the creation of the G20 in 1999 and the BRICS New Development Bank
- The bank will likely create competition for existing institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, both of which are dominated by the traditional western superpowers
What is the aim of China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI)
To create a one road strategy developed in 2013 as a proposal by China’s government to develop connectivity between China, Eurasia & Africa:
* Strengthen trade
* infrastructure
* investment
What is the global reach of the China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
- China + 65 countries (30% global GDP, 62% global population, 75% energy reserves)
How much is China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) going to cost
$1-8trillon
Who is funding the China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
State enterprises – state-owned TNCs
What is meant by One Belt
a land route througgh countries extending from Russia and Mongolia through Central Asia to Western Europe
What is meant by One Road
A sea route extending into the South China Sea and India
What are the environmental impacts on the Belt & Road Initiative
- Deforestation increases to build roads and mines, increase in mining and drilling can lead to:
- Spillages of oil and heavy metals
- Contamination of soil and water
- Movement of steel and cement industries to countries such as
- Zimbabwe increases risk of air and water pollution
What are the advantages of China’s investment in Africa?
-infrastructure
Construction of critical infrastructure that many African countries can’t afford
What are the advantages of China’s investment in Africa?
-loans
Cheaper loans with ‘fewer strings attached’
What are the advantages of China’s investment in Africa?
-resources
Trading partner for raw materials
What are the advantages of China’s investment in Africa?
-jobs
- Economic development through job creation (taking over as low wage manufacturing base)
What are the advantages of China’s investment in Africa?
-technology
Supply of cheaper technology and goods to support African development
Give examples of countries in debt to China
– 75% of Zambia’s $8.7 billion debt is to China
-77% of Djibouti’s debt is to China
environmental cost of china-africa
Environmental damage – ‘exporting’ polluting industries to Africa e.g. steel (South Africa), leather tanning (Ethiopia)
what are some economic risks for Africa in its relationship with China
- Interdependence risks becoming dependent on China, meaing a decline in Asian economy could decline african investment
- Chinese investment through top-down loans to national governments risks money not reaching local people and businesses
- Reliance on commodities exports so profits not high(low value, variable price)
- Investment is focussed on resource rich nations so is unequally distributed
Give evidence that China & India are emerging superpowers & economic leaders
- China is the second largest economy in the world and India is the fifth
- They are both members of the G20 which works to address issues related to the global economy
- Together they account for 40% of the world’s population
- They have increasing global political influence and have made military expansions
From the 1960s to 1980s there were …. border clashes between the countries
Control of areas such as …. along the border are disputed
- 3
- Tawang
Tensions eased from the late 1980s and China became India’s …
largest trading partner
2013, 2018 and 2020 saw escalation of the border conflicts along the ….
Sino-Indian border
Describe the china india pakistan love triangle
- China has created a strong economic alliance with Pakistan focused on the $54 billion Chinese investment in CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor),
- but Pakistan and India have tense, often antagonistic relations
How much does Angola’s hydropower dam cost
$2.8billion
China has the ………… in terms of economics, as India has….
China has the upper-hand in terms of economics, as India has a large trade deficit (imports more than exports) with China.
Suggest why China & India still maintain military presence along their shared border
- China has concerns about India’s increased military presence in the South-China Sea
- India has concerns about China’s political relationship with Pakistan
What is the relationship between China & Taiwan
- China claims that Taiwan is a Chinese province
- Taiwan is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC) the government which was overthrown in mainland China by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Chinese Civil War
- It is a constitutional republic unlike the PRC which is a communist state
Describe recent hostilities between China & Taiwan
- China has conducted a number of military exercises, both in the air and at sea, in the area around Taiwan as recently as 2022
- Some of these crossed Taiwan’s maritime border and into the Air Defence Zone
- Taiwan has developed a political relationship with the USA
- The 2022 Chinese military exercises were a response to a visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives
What is the nuclear realtion between India & China
- Following the 1965 second conflict break out
- A nuclear arms race started between the two nations in 1974 - they are now the world’s sixth and seventh nuclear powers
What are the superpowers’ sphere of influence in the MENA Region - USA
- Supporter of Israel / Saudi Arabia
- Oil / gas interests
- Terrorist groups (Al Qaeda)
- Anti-Iran
What are the superpowers’ sphere of influence in the MENA Region - Russia
- Afghanistan bordered Soviet countries and USSR concerned with growing Muslim activism which could spread (invaded – generated Mujahadeen / Taliban)
- Military bases in Syria (support Syrian government – needs allies in the region)
- Pro-Iran and allies
What are the superpowers’ sphere of influence in the MENA Region - United Kingdom
Historical due to former colonies and Sykes-Picot
Involvement through NATO alliances in Gulf War, Iraq, Libya
why is the Middle East such an important location for superpowers
- 80% of the proven oil reserves are in the region, and with rising energy demandsr superpowers and emerging powers must maintain:
- Stability within the region as far as possible
- Relations with the nations in the Middle East
What are the political sources of tension in the middle east
- 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement: divided up former Ottoman Empire into French/British zones of influence
- Post WWII: Post-colonial creation of states incl. Iraq, Jordan, Israel (Palestine)
- 1945 Arab League (1945): originally 6 ME members but now includes MENA
- Afghanistan – Soviet invasion of 1979 set up Taliban/Al Qaeda
What are the economic sources of tension in the middle east
- Control over 60% of the world’s oil reserves (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait)
- Top oil-exporting countries collectively influence global oil prices by increasing/decreasing supply
- Israel economic dominance
What are the cultural/religious sources of tension in the middle east
Religious: Sunni (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey) and Shia (Iran, Iraq, Lebanon) branches of Islam are a source of conflict between and within countries
Hamas v. Hezbollah (Palestine) v. Israel
Arab Spring (2010 +) – political/economic?
What are the environmental sources of tension in the middle east
- Water scarcity - Jordan
- Syria and Iraq share the Tigris-Euphrates River - overuse of water resources in one threatens water security in the other
- Pollution from conflict (Gulf War 1991, Iraq War 2003)
What happended with USA’s intervention in Iraq 2003-11
- Hard-power attempts by the USA to free Iraq from its dictator Saddam Hussein and rebuild it as a reliable and loyal ally failed.
- Instead, US forces became entangled in a brutal Iraqi civil war.
- Iraq’s weakness allowed Iran to become much more powerful in the region. Iran is strongly opposed to the USA.
- The heavy cost in money and soldiers’ lives turned US opinion against military intervention in the Middle East. –> limited USA’s options in intervening in the Syrian civil war increasing Russian political influence in Syria.
Historial Tension & Conflict
The UN set up semi-independent countries instead, but the borders (based on British-French plans) …
cut through ethnic groups
Historial Tension & Conflict
After the fall of the ……. Empire (1918-20), Britain and France aimed to…..
Ottoman
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire (1918-20), Britain and France aimed to divide the Middle East between them.
Historial Tension & Conflict
What did US supprot for Israel in 1948 do
- alienated some Arab nations against the USA Some allied with the USSR
What was bad about the Sykes Picot agreement1916
- The Sykes-Picot agreement conflicted directly with pledges of freedom given by the British to the Arabs in exchange for their support against the collapsing Ottomans.
- It also collided with the vision of the US President Woodrow Wilson, who preached self-determination for the peoples subjugated by the Ottoman Empire.
Since 2011, the rise of the extremist group……………in…….. has created ……………..
- Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
- wars, terrorism and a refugee crisis
Most Muslim countries are hostile to the …………………….: …… has vowed to destroy it, but the ….. is a key ally of Israel
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
What ae the 3 contrasting cultural global ideologies
- Western capitalism (EU, North America, South America),
- the Muslim world (Middle East, North Africa)
- and Asia
What recent evident made contrasting cultural ideologies painfully celar
- The contrasting cultural ideologies between nations were clear in the run up and during the Qatar 2022 World Cup
- Many protests were made against the World Cup being held in a country that didn’t have the same cultural ideologies as Western countries such as the US and EU nations
What is India’s global GDP rank
5th - $2.94 trillion (after US, China, Japan, Germany)
Where does India’s GDP per capita rank in the world?
122nd – $1,980 (nominal)
Evidence that shows it will be difficult for India to challenge China as a superpower
- Low GDP per capita ($1,980)
- Often chaotic
- Not a permanent member of UN Security Council
- Ethnic and social divisions and regional disputes (Pakistan)
Evidence to support India as an emerging superpower
- World’s 2nd largest, and working-age population, and continuing to grow
- 3rd largest national market and high growth rate (7.5%) based on privatised economy
- Democratic government
- Investment in infrastructure, healthcare, national security, education
- Strong regional links – China, Russia, Israel, Afghanistan
- Located on key trading routes
- Space programme
- Nuclear power
- Large military
- Globalised diaspora
