Lost in transfer – tracing policy diffusion and norm‐shaping in Tanzania‐China relations
| Published date | 01 November 2024 |
| Author | Georg Lammich |
| Date | 01 November 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13416 |
886
|
Global Policy. 2024;15:886–900.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gpol
1 | SETTING THE STAGE:
CHINA'S INFLUENCE IN AFRICA
AND THE COMPLEXITIES OF
POLICY TRANSFER
China's influence in shaping norms and policie s in
Africa has been a topic of increasing interest (Cissé
et al., 2023). Despite the massive impact COVID- 19
had on China's presence in Africa and the palpable
decrease in financial and technical cooperation in re-
cent years, in the field of policy dissemination China i s
regarded as one of the most influential external ac tors
on the continent (Chen etal., 2024; Nantulya,2023a).
According to the literature, various concepts and ideas
from China, such as its developmental model, one -
party rule, party- army relationship and China's inter-
pretation of the development–security nexus, have
found their way into the domestic discourse of several
African states and also influenced the region al level
(Carrozza & Benabdallah, 2022; Green et al., 2020:
9; Lammich, 2023). The seemingly ambiguous nature
of many concepts promoted by Beijing, at least when
viewed from an external standpoint, provides ampl e
room for interpretation. African governments, capital-
ising on this interpretative flexibility, adapt these con-
cepts to align with their own priorities and agen das.
However, it is important to note that the implications and
outcomes drawn from Chinese policies may not nece s-
sarily mirror the evolution of China's approach towards
Africa. Concepts such as the developm ent–security
nexus, South–South cooperation (SSC) or the China
model are not solely shaped by Beijing; African actor s
also play a significant role by selectively incor porat-
ing, and sometimes relying on, fragmented or outdated
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Lost in transfer – tracing policy diffusion and norm-
shaping in Tanzania- China relations
GeorgLammich
Received: 5 Febru ary 2024
|
Revised: 9 July 2024
|
Accepted: 15 July 2024
DO I: 10 .1111/17 58- 589 9.13 416
This is an open ac cess article under t he terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited.
© 2024 The Author(s). Global Policy published by D urham University and Jo hn Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ChiTA, China and the Transfor mation of
Political Ord er in Africa (DFG), University
Duisburg- Essen, Duisburg, Germany
Correspondence
Georg Lammic h, ChiTA, China and
the Transformation of Political Order in
Africa (DFG), Universi ty Duisburg- Essen,
Duisburg, Germany.
Email: georg.lammich@uni- due.de
Funding information
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft,
Grant/Aw ard Number: 4 69144017
Abstract
This article examines the compl exities of policy transfer between China and
Tanzania, focussing on the influence of linguistic and cultural discre pancies. It
explores how African governments, particularly Tanzania, interpret and adapt
Chinese policy concepts to align with t heir domestic priorities. The study employs
a multi- method approach, including interviews, document analysis and literature
review, to investigate the dynamics of Sino- Tanzanian relations. Findings reveal
that while China's development and security discour ses resonate with African
policymakers, the semantic nuances and his torical contexts of Chinese terms
often lead to divergent interpretations. Despite several initiatives from China to
infuse policy concepts into Tanzanian discourse, including projec ts such as a
party leadership scho ol and party- to- party dialogues, there are to date no suc-
cessful adaptations or transfers of Chinese macro - policy conc epts to Tanzania.
The research highlights the critic al role of language and cultural context in policy
transfer processes, challenging the tradit ional view of passive policy reception in
the Global South. It contributes to the broader under standing of policy transfer,
emphasising the need to recognise t he dynamic interplay of language, culture
and political agency in the proces s. The study concludes with reco mmendations
for recognising and addressing the interpretive challenges in international policy
transfers to enhance mutual understanding an d cooperation.
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