被误解的中非关系

    上周末，正在非洲访问的美国总统奥巴马表示，中国在非洲日渐增长的影响力并没有让美国觉得受到了威胁。奥巴马的这次非洲三国之行定于7月3日结束。

    奥巴马这番话难免让旁人窃笑。

    最近，美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）、《金融时报》（the Financial Times）和新闻网站GlobalPost都报道了奥巴马的本次出访活动。美国有线电视新闻网的文章标题是《奥巴马赴非目标：抗衡中国》（Obama's Goal in Africa: Counter China），《金融时报》的是《奥巴马非洲之行意义甚少——而且为时甚晚》（Obama's trip to Africa is too little – and very late）, GlobalPost的则是《奥巴马在非洲：中国1分，美国0分》（Obama in Africa: China 1, US 0）。这些文章都有一个相同的主题，那就是正当美国政府犹豫不决，或者受制于伊拉克和阿富汗之际，中国已经开始在非洲，这个21世纪的新兴高增长地区经营了起来。

    全球十大高增长经济体中有7个是非洲国家。咨询机构麦肯锡（McKinsey & Company）2010年公布的一份报告显示，本世纪头十年，外资在非洲实现的回报率高于其他任何地区。国际货币基金组织（IMF）测算，非洲目前的经济增速已经超过亚洲。

    中非贸易额也出现了相应的增长。2000年这个数字还处于可以忽略的水平，2012年就达到了1,985亿美元（1.2168万亿元人民币）。与之相比，2012年美国和非洲的贸易额为1,089亿美元（6,675.57亿元人民币），而且有越走越慢之势。渣打（Standard Chartered）的研究表明，到2015年，中非贸易额将增至3,850亿美元（2.36万亿元人民币）。

    总有人指责中国正在攫取非洲的胜利果实，中国和非洲的复杂关系也过于频繁地笼罩在神秘色彩之中。其实，人们在这个问题上存在下面5个误解。

    “全都是为了石油”

    没错，非洲的自然资源对中国来说很重要。据美国独立智囊机构对外关系协会（Council on Foreign Relations）介绍，中国约三分之一的石油进口来自撒哈拉以南的非洲地区。不过，中国在非投资的多元化程度要远远超过有些人所说的水平。

    旨在促进国际合作的非营利组织卡内基国际和平基金会（Carnegie Endowment for International Peace）提供的信息显示，2009年，在中国对非洲的直接外商投资中，只有约29%进入了采掘领域。而同年，采掘业投资占美国对非洲直接外商投资的60%左右。同时，中国在非洲制造业以及就业方面投入的资金都超过了美国——而上周末，奥巴马总统还以在非洲建厂不足为由对中国指指点点。

    Over the weekend U.S. President Barack Obama, on a three-country visit to Africa that concludes tomorrow, denied that America felt threatened by China's rising influence on the continent.

    Cue the eye-rolling.

    Recent stories published by CNN ("Obama's Goal in Africa: Counter China"), the Financial Times ("Obama's trip to Africa is too little – and very late"), and the GlobalPost ("Obama in Africa: China 1, US 0") share a theme: While American administrations dithered, or were tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Chinese have been setting up shop in the 21st Century's next great growth region.

    Seven out of the world's 10 fastest growing economies are African. According to a 2010 report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the rate of return on foreign investments in Africa was, in the first decade of this century, higher than in any other region. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that Africa is now growing faster than Asia.

    Sino-African trade volumes have grown accordingly. Negligible in 2000, trade hit $198.5 billion in 2012. By comparison, U.S.-Africa trade volume was $108.9 billon, and is slated to fall further behind: Research from Standard Chartered estimates that trade between China and Africa will hit $385 billion by 2015.

    Dogged by criticism that Beijing is eating Africa's lunch, China's relationship with Africa is complex and too often distorted by myth. Here are five examples of how we tend to get it wrong.

"It's all about oil"

    Yes, Africa's natural resources are important to Beijing. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, roughly a third of China's crude oil imports come from sub-Saharan Africa. However, Chinese investment in Africa is far more diverse than some of the rhetoric suggests.

    According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in 2009 only about 29% of China's foreign direct investment (FDI) went to the extractive industries. By contrast, in the same year, mining accounted for about 60% of U.S. FDI to Africa. Meanwhile, China -- which was called out last weekend by President Obama for not building enough plants in Africa -- invested more in manufacturing, and in African jobs, than the U.S.