Specific Features of Trade and Economic Cooperation of Japan and China with African Countries in the 21st Century

The role of the African countries in the world’s economy has been growing recently, bringing changes to the structure of economic relations with Africa. Japan has been one of the main actors in Africa since the beginning of the 20th century, while China has only recently started to play a significant role in the region. Despite being a new partner, China has already become Africa’s biggest economic partner, while Japan is losing its previous positions. This paper focuses on the comparison of the trade and economic policies of China and Japan in the African countries in the 21st century, with the aim to determine what are the main differences and main similarities between the policies of these two countries, to understand what makes Chinese policies more effective, and whether it is possible for Japan to follow the Chinese example in order to become more successful in the region. The paper presents a historical overview of how the economic policies of both Japan and China developed, and what are the current trends and objectives of these countries. The research uses the mixed method in analysis and utilizes the case study approach in order to see the differences and similarities between the countries’ policies in several of the main spheres of cooperation: infrastructure, energy and agriculture. The results of the research showed a significant number of similarities between Japanese and Chinese policies in the region in relation to the aims, main actors, as well as official governmental approach. The main differences were concerned with the scope of the projects, labor practices, and with a public opinion on the projects. Overall, Japanese policies were proven to be successful and accepted for their own merits; with certain changes to its policies Japan seems to be able to save and reinforce its positions in the region in the future. Key words: Japan, China, Africa, East Africa, trade, FDI, ODA, infrastructure, energy, agriculture