Last week a Chinese manager was killed by an angry group of Zambian protesters. The protesters gathered peacefully (at least initially!) in an attempt to fight back against the meager paychecks received from their Chinese employers. This is one of the few (but not as isolated as one might think) dramatic events in Sino-African relations.

So why did this happen and in what context?

Africa has a long history of convoluted affairs, with the United States, Britain, France and Russia constantly interfering in local affairs. The entire Cold War was an ideological battle between the two blocks with both the US and Russia competing for African leaders’ allegiance to them. As such, if China is backing one candidate over another, it does so by following, once again, the pattern that emerged back in the ‘60s and one which unfortunately continues to date.

A hydro power plant financed and built by the China National Machinery & Equipment Import & Export Corporation (CMEC) was inaugurated in the Republic of Congo over the weekend. The Chinese state offered soft loans at a nominal interest rate to defray approximately 85 percent of the costs for the power plant. The hydro power [...]

Randall Smith of the Daily Nation Kenya writes one of the best op-eds on China-Africa  relations in the light of President Kibaki’s attempt to get a long series of projects financed by the Chinese state: Whether it’s China, the United States or the Saudi oil sheiks, the cost of a long Christmas gift list is [...]

I almost missed this story but I think it’s really important to look at it and analyze it carefully. A Chinese company, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC),has expressed its interest in building a railway connecting Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The project is supposed to link Dar es Salaam, Kigali and Musongati in Burundi. Historically, [...]

Lamenting about China in Africa will ultimately amount to nothing productive. What the leaders and the stakeholders behind the major international organizations should seriously consider is reforming institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund or other UN agencies in ways that will make UN offers more attractive alternatives.

I have recently finished my BA paper and I am now trying to convert it in a publishable academic article. I believe this essay brings significant contributions to both the field of political science and anthropology and also a more nuanced vision on Sino-African relations. My thesis is the following:China’s engagement in Africa, its extractive [...]

I am posting  the introduction to my BA thesis here because i think it brings a new perspective on China in Africa. I will also publish my thesis on my website once I submit it in the next month or so. China through Their Eyes: African Perspectives on Their Friends from the East -          Lessons [...]

Deborah Brautigam visited the University of Chicago and talked about her recent book: The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa. Her lecture can be found online and downloaded. It’s quite an amazing story and a fairly good book. My main criticism is that she downplays the African side of the debate and [...]

As the Forum for American-Chinese Exchange at Stanford in Beijing conference came to an end, some of the most important legacies of this forum will be taken away by the 40 delegates who have represented both countries at this event. I have to admit that I have learned a lot at this conference both at [...]