Abstract EN:

The objective of this thesis is to analyse the role played by the Asian emerging countries in South-South trade. It tries to capture specificities that may arise from trade between Sub-Saharan Africa and the Developing Asia. Moreover, it addresses the determinants of export performance in the southern countries and the externalities provided by the Asian developing countries on the expansion of trade in Sub-Saharan Africa. It shows that for all African countries, South-South trade is expanding either regionally or in relation to the Developing Asia. Using the case study of Senegal, we notice that initial trade with developed countries is getting weaker relative to trade with Southern countries. This thesis shows new evidence about demand externalities and knowledge transmissions that developing countries can get from South-South trade. So, South-South trade may influence countries’ export performance better than other trade orientation. But, even though South-South trade is growing very fast since the beginning of the new millennium, important structural problems remain (mainly for the African countries) and tend to hinder gains from trade opportunities. This thesis insists on the fact that developing countries must take more supply oriented policies in order to better capture opportunities in South-South trade linkages