Improving China-Africa relations

At the 6thForum on China–Africa Cooperation last Friday in Johannesburg, a new relationship between the world’s second-largest economy and its fastest rising continent was on display. China made headlines atthe event by announcing a $60 billion package of loans, aid, investment, and other financial support to Africa.

Yet for all the fanfare, the relationship between China and Africa is under strain. DIIS senior researcher Luke Patey and Zhang Chun, senior fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, argue in a new Foreign Affairs article that Beijing must now rethink its engagement with Africa.

China should focus less on the size and number of commitments it offers to Africa and more on sustainability, with an approach that goes beyond government-to-government initiatives.

The article is the second collaboration between Patey and Zhang on China-Africa relations. They wrote last year for the Financial Times arguing that Europe and China can learn from one another’s development engagement in Africa.