Response: Chinese investment is vital to African economic development. The huge inflows of Chinese capital dwarf that offered by multilateral agencies. In 2006 China’s EXIM bank committed $13bn to Africa – over twice the amount offered by the World Bank and since 2006 the Africa-China Development Fund has invested $400 million into the continent.

This vast amount of money has had a huge impact on infras... more

Response: During his visit to Africa in January 2009, Chinese Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Chen Deming proudly announced that China FDI stock to Africa exceeded U.S.$ 5 billion at the end of 2008 and that bilateral trade between China and Africa reached U.S.$ 106.8 billion in the same period. In February 2009, President Hu Jintao visited four West African countries and stated that ‘China will keep its promise... more

Response: 2006 is a long timeframe in China’s rapid footprint into Africa. In the intervening years until the global financial crisis struck, Beijing had not only increased its investment portfolio in Africa through the launch of its U.S.$5 billion China-Africa Development Fund, announced during the 2006 Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) Summit, but had managed to achieve more than U.S.$100 billion... more

Response: Conventional wisdom about China’s investment in Africa holds that it is largely resource focused, conducted by large state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and driven by Chinese state economic security interests. There has been huge controversy about Chinese state agreements with, for example, the Congo, Zambia, Angola and Sudan over the price Africans get for their copper or oil and Chinese supposed ind... more