India's Energy Diplomacy in Francophone Africa: Competitive-Cooperation with China∗

Vidhan Pathak

India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, 2007, vol. 63, issue 2, 26-55

Abstract: Energy security issues have brought Francophone Africa recently into India's strategic map. In fact, India has recently taken initiatives and turn towards Francophone Africa for diversifying its energy sources. While US, Europe and China have already jumped into the oil exploration process in this region, India has to make a dent on the basis of its historical linkages with these countries. India is working out an elaborate energy procurement plan through its energy diplomacy in this region. The increasing interest of US and European powers and their strategies for African oil has enabled India to formulate policy framework for energy cooperation with China in Francophone Africa. However, the need for energy security has also the possibility of competition and confrontation between India and China. Indian energy diplomacy in Francophone Africa cannot ignore the competition with China and its ramifications. The Chinese factor is quite evident in India's energy diplomacy in this region. As India enters Francophone Africa in search of oil equity, it is increasingly facing a Chinese challenge. Bilateral competition to secure oilfields led to some rivalry between both wherein the national oil companies from both countries were playing the game of one up-manship. In the battle for the control of equity oil in Africa, the Chinese have already outbid OVL twice, in Sudan and Angola. China has been hunting for oil equity for a longer period than India. And this underlines the importance of energy cooperation between both countries in the Francophone Africa. Both, India and China have managed to turn their much-vaunted rivalry for the acquisition of oil and gas assets in third countries into a partnership that could well alter the basic dynamics of the global energy market. This paper has underlined the evolving Indian energy diplomacy in Francophone Africa, “competitive-cooperation†with China in the region by situating China and India in the demand and Francophone Africa in the supply side of the diversified world energy regime.

Date: 2007
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