South East Asia in Africa: Between trade and politics

MARÍA FLORENCIA RUBIOLO

Buenos Aires

Conferencia; FLACSO ISA Joint International Conference; 2014

FLACSO Argentina

The diplomatic ties between Africa and Southeast Asia (SEA) have historically been sporadic and erratic. The only country in the SEA that the first decades after independence maintained a relatively narrower link to some African countries was Indonesia, because of political and ideological reasons. Today, trade has gained momentum, being South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria, the largest trading partners of ASEAN in Africa, thanks to the growth rates of emerging countries in both regions. This increasing trade relation has been accompanied by some political diplomatic initiatives such as the AASROC (Asian African Sub Regional Organizations Conference), the NAASP (New Asian African Strategic Partnership) and the interregional approach between ASEAN and the African Union (may 2012). And, in the cases of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, there has also been a slight development in bilateral relations. The paper wants to discuss the density and possibilities of this bilateral and multilateral relation and what benefits will bring to Africa, apart from its commercial and ?extractive approach?.