earticle

영어

One of the notable phenomena during China’s spectacular reappearance in the international community during the period of its rapid growth is that the country dramatically built close ties with countries in the African region. After introducing the reform and opening-up policy, the so-called “world’s factory” started distributing its products worldwide, eventually strengthening its influence in terms of trade in Africa just as it did in other parts of the world. However, the said changes have been made apace in a relatively short period of time, and when comprehensively reviewing some other economic indicators (e.g. foreign direct investment, foreign aid, government-guaranteed financing etc.), phenomena are found that cannot be explained without excluding China’s national political and diplomatic goals. Considering the reality of South Korea, where the economy is almost absolutely based on the contribution from the trade sector, what can South Korea learn from China’s expansion of its strategic approach to Africa? South Korea’s approach to Africa has been characterized by a lack of clear diplomatic strategies and economic cooperation. The absence of mid- to long-term strategies and the failure to properly assess the African continent’s potential mean that South Korea will be in a relatively inferior position in future competition with other countries. A more serious problem than this is the absence of diplomatic strategies. Despite the continent’s geopolitical importance for and geographical distance from South Korea, it is undoubtedly a problem to be insufficiently aware of the importance of the vast region with a population of 1.3 billion people. South Korea has only looked at Africa as an object of aid and support, but has failed to recognize it as an object of economic/diplomatic cooperation. From now on, it is necessary to change perception and strategically utilize assistance to Africa as a means to lay the cornerstone for economic cooperation.