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China is emerging in the 21st century as a global power. Beijing has growing interests in the four corners of the world and its voice sounds increasingly loud among the international community.1 Africa is no exception to this global trend. It is one of the regions where the Chinese presence has intensified most in the last decade, looking for energy and raw material suppliers, as well as markets for its construction companies and its cheap manufactures, and diplomatic allies to heighten its prestige and international influence. Much has been written about this process and many case studies depict in detail the present relationship between China and the different African countries. Despite being "the clearest example of Sino-American competition in Africa" and one of China's main oil and timber providers on the continent, Equatorial Guinea has not yet received the attention it deserves.2 This article intends to contribute to that gap and to the general debate on China's role in the development of Africa.
However, it should be underlined that Chinese co-operation with African countries is not homogeneous and therefore its impact on the development of those countries differs too. Consequently, the case study presented here does not aim to provide a comprehensive explanation for China-Africa relations. In order to maximize China's national interest, Chinese foreign policy is very flexible to the rules of the game preferred by its interlocutor. This is the real meaning of the much-trumpeted Chinese principle of "non-interference," interfering on the side of the ruling group.3 From this perspective, the domestic situation of the partner country greatly determines how Chinese co-operation is conducted and its contribution to the development of this country.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema took power in Equatorial Guinea in 1979 after leading a coup d'etat against Francisco Macías Nguema. Obiang heads a single-party state, dominated by the Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial (PDG). This "criminal state" is consistently included in Freedom House's annual list of the most repressive regimes and was ranked 168 out of 180 countries surveyed in Transparency International's 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index.4 The Equatoguinean dictator enjoys such a level of arbitrariness that state radio announced in July 2003 that Obiang "is in permanent contact with The...