The Securitization of China's Engagement with Africa: EU Energy Security Strategy.

The topic of energy security has become an issue of great concern for many countries over the last few years. As the integration and the globalization of the world economy deepens, the rise of the emerging economies such as China and India and the fear of disruption in global energy supplies has become a challenge that developed countries factor into their national security strategies. Since the advent of the new millennium, China's engagement with Africa and its oil investment on the Continent has been interpreted in some policy circles in the US and EU as a threat to their own national security. The advocates of this view are concerned that China's ties with many resource rich and oil producing countries in Africa could undermine the strategic interests of the EU in the continent. This perception of a threat rather than a challenge is what this paper intents to address. The paper seeks to bring an analytical perspective on these questions and assesses the true nature and rationale of both EU-Africa relations and China's engagement with Africa in trade and economic relations and concludes with some policy perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]