THE ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND AFRICA AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT PATTERN

In recent years, economic and political cooperation between China and Africa has increased remarkably, clearly noticeable in different fields: trade, investments, loans, aid, etc. The importance of these relations is expressed not only in their scale, but also in the relevance given to them by the Chinese authorities at the political level. The strengthening of that relationship has aroused increasing interest among academics, which is reflected in the proliferation of studies and research on this question. This article aims to link the analyses curried out on the economic flows between China and Africa with the debate about the possible impact of those flows on the development pattern of the African continent. To this end, some other factors that directly affect the development process of these countries are also taken into consideration, such as the issue of human rights, or the bilateralism that characterises those relations, which could threaten the weak integration schemes under way among African economies today.