China’s African Union diplomacy: challenges and prospects for the future

The relationship between the African Union (AU) and China has arguably become closer in the last few years. In 2015, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) established a diplomatic mission to the organisation, the third after the US and the EU, as part of its effort to move beyond bilateral mechanisms, which have traditionally been the preferred channel for Sino-African relations. So far, China has mostly worked with the AU Peace and Security Council on maintaining peace and security on the continent. However, in dealing with the AU, Beijing has encountered a series of challenges which are partly inherent in the organisation itself, and partly arise from the peculiarities of Chinese diplomacy, which relies heavily on government-to-government ties.