A Center-Periphery Perspective on Africa-China's Emerging Economic Links.

The discussion explores the validity of dependency theories in the context of the emerging China-Africa trade and economic relations. Whereas the advocates of dependent theories assume that economic domination runs across north-south geoeconomic patterns, this author has concluded that the China-Africa economic links represent a distinct south-south dialectic occurring in an emerging new global economic configuration marked by a technology gap Consequently, even though synergies can be created by considering legitimate interests of each party, no matter how well-intentioned China is, Africa must still generate its own technological capacities and rid itself of its socio-economic traps. Ultimately, there will be no long-run benefit unless each contributes to the emergence of a new economic configuration that is deeply rooted in common or joint interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]