Kampen om Afrika : en komparativ studie av Kinas och Europa Unionens riktlinjer avseende handel och mänskliga rättigheter

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this essay is to discuss whether the occidental approach to human rights, namely the importance of civil and political rights, in Africa is disappearing with the Chinese influence and its oriental viewpoint with focus on economic, cultural and social rights. China has lately chosen to ”Go Global” and now they officially promote their perspective on human rights. The intensified cooperation between China and Africa has raised criticism among some scholars who endorse the occidental viewpoint. The criticism has mainly focused on China’s lack of activity in trying to adopt pluralistic democracy and promoting human rights in the African states. The distinction between the occidental and oriental viewpoints on human rights is nothing new, but an apprehension of a more oriental influenced notion of human rights in Africa has opened a critical debate from occidental human rights interpreters. What impact the absence of an occidental way of valuing human rights in Africa has on the continuation of such rights is what will be closer evaluated in this essay. My thesis will focus on the political use of human rights opposed to a theory philosophic notion of the existence of human rights.