China's Health Diplomacy in Africa

摘要

China's embracing of health diplomacy in Africa in recent years connects back to earlier efforts to promote itself as a vanguard alternative to leading Western states. In its more modern manifestation, health diplomacy figures prominently as an important element of China's hard and soft power. Providing medical care and building the healthcare infrastructure of African states improves China's standing among developing countries and bolsters its status as a credible alternative to the dictates of Western powers, while also ensuring support for China in international organisations and access to natural resources needed to maintain the country's economic growth.