As China surges into Mozambique with sophisticated business relations and friendly aid, the former Portuguese colony's traditional Western patrons are humbled.

By Loro Horta for ISN Security Watch

China's phenomenal growth and the resultant need for raw materials and new markets has led Beijing to vigorously re-engage with Mozambique, and Africa in general.

China's relations with Mozambique date back to the 1960s when the PRC supported the Marxist-oriented FRELIMO party in its struggle for independence against Portuguese colonial rule. After independence in 1975 relations remain friendly albeit limited as the FRELIMO government moved closer to the far more powerful Soviet patron. The end of the Cold War saw China lose interest in the East African country as its focus shifted to domestic priorities and its immediate neighborhood.

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Posted by pichu at August 13, 2007 10:19 AM