China–Ghana relations

Last updated
China-Ghana relations
China Ghana Locator.png
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
China
Flag of Ghana.svg
Ghana

China-Ghanaian relations refer to the current and historical relationship between the Republic of Ghana and the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Contents

History

Zhou Enlai with President Nkrumah on his visit to Ghana in April 1964 1964-04 1964Nian Zhong Guo Fang Wen Jia Na Zhou En Lai Yu En Ke Lu Ma .jpg
Zhou Enlai with President Nkrumah on his visit to Ghana in April 1964
Huang Hua in 1961 became PRC's first ambassador to Ghana Huang Hua.Jpg
Huang Hua in 1961 became PRC's first ambassador to Ghana

China and Ghana established diplomatic relations on July 5, 1960. [1] :345 Since then Ghana has provided substantial diplomatic support to the PRC with the PRC reciprocating with material support for Ghana's development.

In the 1960s President Nkrumah lobbied for the PRC's reinstatement in the United Nations. Nkrumah also supported the PRC during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. Nkrumah's dressing changed to the Chinese-supplied Mao suit. [2] [3]

After the coup, Nkrumah stayed in Beijing for four days and Premier Zhou Enlai treated Nkrumah with courtesy. [4] The post-coup Ghana government closed the Chinese embassy in 1966, because in its view China continued to support Nkrumah, who had taken refuge in Guinea. [1] :345 Chinese government personnel left Ghana in November 1966. [1] :345

Ghana and China restored diplomatic relations in January 1972. [1] :345

In the early 1990s, China built Ghana's National Theatre as a reward for Ghana's diplomatic support following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. After Kufuor was elected president of Ghana in 2001 the PRC gave Ghana a US$2.4 million grant to renovate the theatre. [5]

Official visits

Ghanaian Embassy in Beijing, PR China Ghanian Embassy in Beijing.JPG
Ghanaian Embassy in Beijing, PR China

The two countries have enjoyed a strong relationship since 1960, with high-level official visits to China by then President Nkrumah and reciprocal visits to Ghana by Premier Zhou Enlai. In 2002 Ghana's President John Kufuor made a high-level visit to China, and in 2003 China's President Hu Jintao visited Ghana. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Ghana on the second leg of his seven-nation tour of Africa in 2007.

In September 2010 Ghanaian President John Evans Atta Mills visited China on an official visit. China reciprocated with a visit in November 2011 by the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhou Tienong who visited Ghana and met with Ghana's then Vice President John Dramani Mahama. [6]

Economy

Since the 2000s the volume of Chinese trade and investment in Ghana has increased greatly. From a mere $4.4 million Chinese projects registered by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre in 2000, Chinese registered flows had increased to $1.6 billion in 2014 alone. Despite the manufacturing sector regaining its lead as the largest retainer of Chinese investments in 2014, the General Trade sector has received a largely steady flow of Chinese investments especially since 2004 and therefore the Chinese impact felt more in the trading sector. By 2015, however, Building and Construction sectors of the Ghanaian economy had emerged the largest recipient of Chinese investment flows followed by Manufacturing and General Trade. The Liaison sector which did not attract any Chinese FDI from 2000 to 2008 began to attract Chinese investments from 2009. The Services sector also emerged a significant recipient of Chinese investments from 2006. [7] Despite these economic flows and the tangible physical outcomes of Chinese companies highlighted in buildings and infrastructure, for most Ghanaian the Chinese presence is manifest in individual Chinese migrants trading in spaces that were hitherto dominated by Ghanaian merchants. [8]

An indication of the importance China attaches to its economic relationship with Ghana in the West African region was the decision to open the fourth office of the China-Africa Development Fund in Accra. Opened in November 2011 the office in Ghana focuses on the West African region for the fund. [9]

Economic assistance

Ghanaian National Theater built by Chinese assistance. Ghana National Theater (21927550006).jpg
Ghanaian National Theater built by Chinese assistance.

Premier Wen Jiabao's 2007 visit resulted in the signing of six agreements and a US$66 million Chinese loan to expand and upgrade Ghana's telecommunications network. Beijing provided a concessionary loan of US$30 million to support the first phase of a telecommunications project to link all ten regional capitals and 36 towns in Ghana with fiber optic cables. [5] :4 & 8 [10]

Other Chinese aid projects include:

China-Ghanaian trade and Foreign Direct Investment

China is currently the second largest exporter to Ghana. In 2005 US$433.74 million worth of imports came into Ghana from China with Ghana exporting US$0.1 worth of exports. This reflects a sharp rise in two-way trade between the two countries from $93.13 million in 2000 to $433.74 million in 2005. Most of China's foreign direct investment in Ghana is focused on manufacturing, construction, tourism, trading and services with total investments worth US$75.8 million in 2008. Of 283 projects that Chinese nationals and SOEs have investments in 97 are in manufacturing, 59 in trading, 48 in tourism, 44 in services and 15 in construction. [5] :14&17 By 2014, total Chinese investments in Ghana had increased to $1.6 billion in that year alone. Whereas total Chinese FDI in Ghana for the 2000 to 2007 period was $199 million, cumulative investments for the 2008 to 2015 period was $2.2 billion. [7]

In addition to macro trade and investment flows, Ghana has seen an increasing influx of Chinese entrepreneurial migrants. Largely independent of Chinese SOEs, they either remained in the country after working for big Chinese firms in Ghana or moved from China to Ghana just to trade. The capital might of the Chinese merchants trading in Ghana have culminated in substantial impacts on Ghanaian traders and trading spaces. Despite affording the average Ghanaian consumer low priced goods, they have displaced not only local Ghanaian traders but also goods coming from neighboring African countries. [7] These have culminated in frictions between the Ghana Union of Traders Association and some Ghanaian traders in general on one part, and Chinese migrants on the other hand. Often drawing contrast with Indian and Lebanese merchants trading in Ghana, Ghanaian traders decry the indiscriminate trading patterns of Chinese merchants and their increasing concentration in spaces that are contested as markets. [8]

Media

StarTimes, CGTN Africa, and Xinhua News Agency have a significant presence in Ghana's media landscape and present a pro-Chinese government viewpoint to Ghanaian audiences. [13]

Security

In April 2007 the CPPCC's Chairman, Jia Qinglin, granted a US$30 million concessional loan for the Dedicated Communications Project to foster closer military and security ties between the two countries. This included a grant of a US$7.5 million for the construction of an office complex for Ghana's Ministry of Defence. [5] :5

Ghanaian Chinese

Ghanaian Chinese are an ethnic group of Chinese diaspora in Ghana. The ancestors of ethnic Chinese migrants to Ghana were of Hong Kong origin. They began arriving in the late 1940s and early 1950s. [14] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, some of the Hong Kong migrants began to bring their wives and children over to Ghana. [15] Migrants from Shanghai also began to arrive round this time. [16] With the economic reform and opening up in the PRC, migrants from mainland China began arriving. Migration from mainland China intensified in the 1990s; some came as employees, but most were independent traders running import-export businesses or restaurants. [15] The sources of migration have also expanded; whereas earlier migrants came mostly from Hong Kong or Shanghai, later Chinese migrants have arrived from Guangdong and Henan as well as the Republic of China on Taiwan. [16] As of 2009 there were an estimated 700,000 ethnic Chinese migrants that have settled in Ghana. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Zimbabwe relations</span> Bilateral relations

China and Zimbabwe have had a close, but chequered, relationship since the latter's independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Somalia relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Somalia relations are the bilateral relations between China and Somalia. Somalia maintains an embassy in Beijing. China has an embassy in Mogadishu. It is led by Ambassador Wei Hongtian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angola–China relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between Angola and China predate the former's independence. Today, they are based on an emerging trade relationship. As of 2021, Angola was China's third-largest trading partner in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Namibia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Governmental relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of Namibia were first established the day after Namibia's independence, but relations with Namibian independence movements date back to the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese people in Ghana</span> Ethnic Chinese who live in Ghana

Migration of Chinese people in Ghana dates back to the 1940s. Originally, most came from Hong Kong; migration from mainland China began only in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Lesotho relations</span> Bilateral relations

The People's Republic of China and Lesotho maintain historical, political, economic, trade, aid, healthcare and migration connections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central African Republic–China relations</span> Bilateral relations

Central African Republic–People's Republic of China relations refer to the bilateral relations of the Central African Republic and the People's Republic of China. Diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Central African Republic were established on September 29, 1964, when the CAR's government severed diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benin–China relations</span> Bilateral relations

Benin – China relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Benin and the People's Republic of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameroon–China relations</span> Bilateral relations

China and Cameroon established bilateral relations on March 26, 1971. Cameroon is an adherent to the One China Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Verde–China relations</span> Bilateral relations

Cape Verde–People's Republic of China relations refers to the current and historical relationship between the People's Republic of China and Cape Verde. The two states established bilateral relations on April 25, 1976, shortly after Cape Verde gained independence from the Portuguese Empire. Cape Verde is an adherent to PR China's One China Policy. China maintained relations with Cape Verde throughout from 1970s to mid-1990s mainly to prevent the Republic of China (Taiwan) from gaining Cape Verde's international recognition through checkbook diplomacy. However, in the mid-1990s, a number of Chinese capitalists began investing in the island nation and relations grew during the 2000s as a result.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Ethiopia relations</span> Bilateral relations

People's Republic of China–Ethiopia relations were established in 1970. Ethiopia has an embassy in Beijing and the People's Republic of China has an embassy in Addis Ababa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Eritrea relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Eritrea relations refers to the current and historical relationship between China and Eritrea. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 and, as of 2007, relations between the two states registered "smooth growth".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Guinea-Bissau relations</span> Bilateral relations

People's Republic of China – Guinea-Bissau relations refers to the current and historical relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Guinea-Bissau. Relations were established in March 1974, several months before Guinea-Bissau's September 1974 independence. From 1990 to 1998, Guinea-Bissau maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) rather than with the People's Republic. Relations were reestablished in 1998 and maintained since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Zambia relations</span> Bilateral relations

People's Republic of China – Zambia relations refers to the current and historical relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Zambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Tunisia relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Tunisia relations are foreign relations between China and Tunisia. The People's Republic of China (PRC) established diplomatic relationship with Tunisia on January 10, 1964, 8 years after Tunisia got its independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghana–India relations</span> Bilateral relations

India-Ghana relations are the bilateral relations between India and Ghana. As members of the Commonwealth, India maintains a High Commission in Accra and Ghana has its High Commission in New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Tanzania relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Tanzania relations are the foreign relations between China and Tanzania. China established diplomatic relations with Tanganyika and Zanzibar on December 9, 1961, and December 11, 1963, respectively. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar were united and became Tanzania on April 26, 1964, China extended its diplomatic ties to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Guinea relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Guinea relations refer to the bilateral relations between China and Guinea. China and Guinea established diplomatic relations on October 14, 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Gabon relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Gabon relations refer to the foreign relations between China and Gabon. On December 9, 1960, China established diplomatic relations with Gabon. Gabon switched recognition to the People's Republic of China in Beijing on April 20, 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Ivory Coast relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Ivory Coast relations refer to the foreign relations between China and Ivory Coast. They established the diplomatic relations on March 2, 1983.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Shinn, David H.; Eisenman, Joshua (2023). China's Relations with Africa: a New Era of Strategic Engagement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0-231-21001-0.
  2. ""老外经"心中的周恩来总理". Ministry of Commerce (China). 2014-05-12. Archived from the original on 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  3. 杨明伟; 陈扬勇. 周恩来外交风云. 解放军文艺出版社. 1995. ISBN   9787503306907. p.357
  4. "The Confused Moments Of Nkrumah In China After The Coup". modernghana.com. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Idun-Arkhurst, Isaac (2008). Ghana's Relations with China. Johannesburg: South African Institute of International Affairs. ISBN   978-1-919969-32-9.
  6. Deng, Shasha (November 12, 2011). "Visiting senior Chinese official lauds Ghana for political stability, national unity". Xinhua. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 Dankwah, Kwaku Opoku and Marko Valenta (2019) (2019). "Chinese entrepreneurial migrants in Ghana: socioeconomic impacts and Ghanaian trader attitudes". Journal of Modern African Studies. 57: 1–29. doi:10.1017/S0022278X18000678. hdl: 11250/2608582 . S2CID   159241142 . Retrieved 2019-04-03.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 Dankwah, Kwaku Opoku; Amoah, Padmore Adusei (2 January 2019). "Gauging the dispositions between indigenes, Chinese and other immigrant traders in Ghana: towards a more inclusive society". Asian Ethnicity. 20 (1): 67–84. doi:10.1080/14631369.2018.1490173. S2CID   150201924.
  9. Chinese Embassy in Ghana (November 16, 2011). "The Fourth Office of China-Africa Development Fund Inaugurated in Ghana". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  10. Austin Strange, Bradley C. Parks, Michael J. Tierney, Andreas Fuchs, Axel Dreher, and Vijaya Ramachandran. 2013. China’s Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection. CGD Working Paper 323. Washington DC: Center for Global Development. http://aiddatachina.org/projects/130
  11. Austin Strange, Bradley C. Parks, Michael J. Tierney, Andreas Fuchs, Axel Dreher, and Vijaya Ramachandran. 2013. China’s Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection. CGD Working Paper 323. Washington DC: Center for Global Development. http://aiddatachina.org/projects/28056 Archived 2013-06-28 at archive.today
  12. Austin Strange, Bradley C. Parks, Michael J. Tierney, Andreas Fuchs, Axel Dreher, and Vijaya Ramachandran. 2013. China’s Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection. CGD Working Paper 323. Washington DC: Center for Global Development. http://aiddatachina.org/projects/120
  13. Dogbevi, Emmanuel K. (June 1, 2022). "China in Africa's Media: A Case Study of Ghana" (PDF). National Bureau of Asian Research . pp. 57–67. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  14. Ho 2008a , p. 9
  15. 1 2 Ho 2008a , p. 10
  16. 1 2 Aosa, Liuying (August 2006), "加纳商界的上海人朱亦念/Zhu Yinian, a Shanghai person in Ghana's world of commerce", Xinhua Monthly Tianxia, retrieved 2009-04-01
  17. "Africa-China Relationship: Gains So Far", ModernGhana.com, 2009-11-17, retrieved 27 April 2013

Works cited