Over the past 10 years Chinese leaders have made 79 official visits to 43 different African countries, according to new data from the Beijing-based consultancy Development Reimagined. Where the senior leadership goes offers some fascinating insights on China’s priorities in Africa.

Hannah Ryder is the founder of Development Reimagined and led the research on Chinese official travel to Africa to produce a compelling new infographic detailing the past decade of Chinese travel patterns across the continent. Hannah joins Eric & Cobus to discuss some of the surprising findings that she discovered in her research on what African countries Chinese officials seem to prioritize over others.

Show Notes:

• Development Reimagined: Who Does China Prioritise? Our First Infographic Sheds Some Light  by Hannah Ryder
• The Diplomat: China’s Leaders Abroad; What the First Visits Tell Us by Mu Chunshan

About Hannah Ryder:
Hannah is a former Kenyan and British diplomat and economist with over 15 years of experience. She has recently founded Development Reimagined, a wholly foreign owned enterprise based in Beijing, and she is also China Representative of ChinaAfrica Advisory. These two consulting firms provide strategic advice and practical support to Chinese and international organisations and stakeholders on issues from the Belt and Road Initiative, to Africa’s growth markets, development effectiveness, green growth and China’s foreign aid. Prior to this she led the United Nations Development Programme’s work with China to help it scale up and improve its cooperation with other developing countries, including in Africa. She writes for a range of publications including Project Syndicate and the Guardian, and in 2016 was nominated “New African Woman on the Rise”. She has contributed to a range of publications, most notably in 2006 she co-authored the Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change.