China’s engagement with Africa has taken a different form in its relations with Mozambique, which are characterised by caution and compromise. In direct contrast with the position in Angola, where the centralised planning system is clearly in government hands, the participatory approach in Mozambique has allowed Bretton Woods institutions, Western donors and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) a strong part in influencing government decision making on macroeconomic policy. Indeed, Maputo’s established relationship with traditional donors and their presence in the country – foreign aid from traditional donors contributed to 51% of the 2008 national budget of $3.2 billion – adds an important structural dimension to Beijing’s and the Mozambican government’s bilateral relations not present in China’s ties with other resource-rich countries.
SAIIA sincerely thanks those who acted as peer reviewers for these papers.
