Abstract :
In the last five years China has dramatically increased its
presence in Africa. Despite its abundant natural resources, the notoriety
of its political regime and its close relationship with Beijing, Equatorial
Guinea is a glaring omission in the China–Africa literature. This article
intends to fulfil that gap by analysing the bilateral relationship between
Beijing and Malabo at both the official and the social levels to assess its
impact on the development of Equatorial Guinea. As bad governance is
the main obstacle for the development of Equatorial Guinea, the article
compares the role played by Chinese companies and government in reinforcing
Obiang’s authoritarian regime with that played by their Western
counterparts. It concludes that Chinese extractive firms play a marginal
role in the financial extraversion that strongly links the Obiang regimen
with US oil companies. Conversely, the Chinese government offers
Obiang more extensive and stable support than Western governments to
the extent that most of the undeniable developmental potential of Chinese
co-operation is wasted through clientelist networks.
China
