Analysis
Diverse voices, unique insights on key issues shaping China-Africa relations.
Race and Racism in the Africa-China Relationship
This essay is a preview of Dr. Roberto Castillo's forthcoming article on "race" and "racism" in Africa-China relations. It was originally published as a multipart Twitter thread and has been re-posted here with the author's permission. Some years ago, during ...
For Many Chinese in Africa, There’s a Fine Line Between “Eating Bitter” and Actually Becoming Bitter
Where do we find the line between eating bitterness and becoming bitter? In the latest episode of the China in Africa Project podcast, "The Bitter Life for Chinese Migrant Workers in Ethiopia," hosts Eric Olander and Cobus ...
Is Africa’s Increasing Attractiveness a Signal of Guaranteed Success?
By Timothy Karikari in Beijing and Julie Frimpong-Ansah in Accra A month ago, more than twenty African leaders including the continent’s largest economies Nigeria and South Africa were guests of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the 7th Tokyo International Conference ...
The Year of the Mobile Phone is Transforming China-Africa Relations
In the history of China-Africa relations, 2019 may come to be known as the year of the mobile phone. It was a year when phones took on an outsized commercial and political importance. Selling its Tecno phones in Africa carried Transsion, a relatively ...
What Key Lessons Can African Countries Learn from the China-NBA Dispute
DISCLAIMER: The article raises a number of sensitive issues that are intended to inform and educate stakeholders in the China-Africa relationship about key political issues in China that influence current events. CAP Managing Editor Eric Olander, nor anyone else at the CAP, does not advocate for or ...
The US/EU/JPN All Seem to Want to Challenge China’s Development Push in Africa… But They’ll Never Admit It
The U.S., Europeans and Japanese have all convened Africa-focused development summits in 2019 and one theme has emerged from all of them: everyone is keen to catch up or somehow rival China's dominance of the African infrastructure and development space. ...
Q&A: Are We Heading for a China-Zambia Break-Up Over Debt? Probably Not.
For the second time in less than a month, there's been an alarming media report about China and Zambia reaching some kind of inflection point over the issue of debt. This weekend, the South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong published a story with a provocative ...
Why Would Uganda Write a Letter to Support China’s Position in Hong Kong?
The Ugandan government last week seemingly felt it necessary, very likely at the strong urging of the Chinese government, to draft a letter that reaffirms Beijing's sovereignty over Hong Kong and the importance of the one country, two systems policy in response to the past four months ...
Chinese Loans in Africa: Debt or Latent Aid?
China’s lending to developing countries often comes as part of massive financial packages for mega-projects. Debt sustainability comes into question for both parties involved. Some critics warn of debt traps where China is jockeying for political influence and ownership, while other ...
Why Chinese and U.S. Stakeholders Should Listen Carefully to What PLO Lumumba Has to Say
Kenyan law professor and former director of the anti-corruption commission Patrick Loch Otieno (PLO) Lumumba first came to the attention of a lot of China-watchers in Africa in 2018 when the Zambian government blocked him from entering the country. Lumumba had been scheduled to give a ...