international relations

• emerging powers+developing countries

  • new relationships
  • emerging powers also rely on low prices for raw materials but can usually provide cheaper manufactured goods than their superpower competitors
  • emerging power have less to lose than superpowers when forging strong relationships w developing countries
• china and various african countries

  • china increasing volume of trade it has with africa, raw materials
  • china become one of main sources of FDI in african continent
  • china provides foreign aid in forms of grants to countries in important trade relationships
  • chinese investments often used for large scale infrastructure projects eg new roads
  • china also invested significantly in water treatment plants across continent
• opportunities

  • chinese funds have paid for projects which will encourage further investment from private companies
  • infrastructure investments also benefit home grown companies+encourage trade within africa
  • many investment projects create employment opportunities for local people - long term impact on local economies
  • by 2013, china had funded 17 hydroelectric power plants in africa
• challenges

  • relationship based on the trade of resourcers which will eventually run out- china may withdraw investments
  • the race to supply china with materials has caused environmental degradation in many african countries eg oil spills affecting water courses and contaminating farmland+toxic waste materials
  • jobs generated from chinese investment typically low-paid and short term
• Asian countries- experiencing rise in economic importance

  • emerging economies eg china and india, developing strong trade links with the rest of the world=asias geopolitical influence increasing
  • economic centre of world shifting closer to asia- economic centre of gravity
  • asia also has rapid population growth- by 2030 27/33 of worlds mega cities will be in asia=increasingly large market for goods
  • in 2020- 15 asian pacific countries joined RCEP=trade bloc which is largest in history
• asia- rising importance- economic/political stress

  • chinas attempts to control south china sea created regional and international tensions
  • tensions between india and pakistan over future of disputed region of kashmir
• middle east

  • allied with different superpowers
  • dates back to agreeents reached after first and second World War
  • eg israel established in 1948- UK and USA supported this and israel remains allied to UK and USA today
• complex reasons for tensions in the middle east

  1. division of territory- between religious and ethnic groups results in tensions, specifically when one group considers an area their ancestral homeland
  2. systems of governance-newly established governance not yet providing stable forms of democracy
  3. the arab spring
  4. cultural ideologies
• abundance of resources in middle east

  • much of involvement of europe and USA in middle east is connected to the oil reserves found there
  • estimated middle east holds around 48% of worlds oil- so peace and stability in region has direct impact on efficiency and stability of oil trade
  • price of oil rises during conflict , price may drop when country faces trade sanctions to compete to supply country applying sanctions