• Developing nations have changing relationships with superpowers with consequences for people and the physical environment.
• Developing nations are often forgotten players in superpowers spheres of influence. Developed nations and emerging powers are often responsible for environmental issues yet developing nations are expected to pay the same price for the issues of their counterparts. It is important to consider the relationships between developing nations and superpowers.
• Existing superpowers, have often been accused of having unfair relationships with developing countries. Neo-colonial mechanisms such as military alliances and debt are used to persuade developing nations into relationships which are often not mutually beneficial to both. It allows developed nations to become reliant on, by developing nations, almost tying the developed world into contracts. Another mechanism evidencing the unfair relationships is the brain drain of skilled workers from developing countries to boost the economies of the superpowers and developed world.
• Developing economic ties between emerging powers and the developing world increase interdependence, generate environmental impacts and bring opportunities and challenges. Interdependence, in this context, is the dependence of two or more nations or organisations on each other.
• China has invested in Africa, becoming a trading partner with Africa. Exports from Africa to China and imports from China into Africa have both grown. There is interdependence and reliance between the two powers. To fuel it's rapid economic development, China has invested in Africa, it needs to secure a reliable supply of raw materials and a growing market for its manufactured goods. Of which, China is now Africa's largest trading partner, buying about one-third of its oil from the continent. In 1980, trade between China and Africa totalled around $1 billion compared to over $160 billion in 2015. In 2015, China announced £40 billion of assistance and loans to Africa to help with it's development, providing evidence of a developmental relationship.
• China's slowing growth and shift towards industries is believed to be having consequences for Africa, slowing it's progress down. Economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa has been the lowest since 1999. The change in China has led to a shock for oil exporters in Africa, such as those in Nigeria and Angola, with growth in oil exports in these countries dropping from 6.3% to 4% and 4.8% to 3.5%, in the respective countries. Oil exports, however, have led to oil spills, reported in Chad, Sudan and Angola. These damage the environment and can cause fatality for marine organisms.
• Extraction for the metallic ore, coltan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo has led to widespread forest loss and river pollution in Africa, although remains vital to Chinese mobile phone and computer manufacturers.
• There are opportunities and challenges between China and Africa. To what extent is China benefiting more from this, and Africa receives very little in return as it has to suffer this environment damage and challenges? Many question the relationship between Africa and China, whether it is a neo-colonial one where Africa receives little in return or whether there is a developmental relationship where Africa benefits as it can progress through the trade and deeper connections it establishes with the global economy, through China.

• The rising economic importance of certain Asian countries (China/India) on the global stage increases the geopolitical influence of the region but also creates economic and political tensions within the region. The world's economic 'centre of gravity' is largely believed to have shifted towards Asia. This represents the growing importance of economic globalisation in Asia (discussed in Topic 3).
• Emerging powers in Asia mean this continent could be a very economically and politically crowded continent by 2030. Indonesia, China, India and Japan are all likely to have economies greater than US$5 trillion by 2030.
• Both China and India have made their presence clear on the global stage as they have been keen to reform global governance institutions to reflect the new balance new of power, such as becoming members of the G20 and the BRICS Development Bank (now known as The Development Bank). The Development Bank was formed at the fourth BRICS summit in 2014 aiming to mobilise development projects in the BRICS. This will likely create competition for existing institutions such as the World Bank and IMF which have a similar purpose, dominated by Western superpowers. This is a potential economic and political tension which could arise with Western powers.
• The increasing geopolitical influence has led to tensions such as the South and East China Seas territory and physical resources tension.

Additional resources:

Read the article about rival superpowers, China and the USA, and their influence on Africa. Click here to access the article. To what extent is the USA a competitor to China's influence?

Read the article about China and India's changing relationship on the global stage. Click here to access the article.

Read the article about the US and it's involvement in the Middle East tensions. Click here to access the article. To what extent are superpowers and emerging powers facing a challenge?