Chinese Expansion in Africa in the Twenty-First Century: Characteristics and Impacts

Abstract

China’s new position in the international economy, and especially the rise of Sino-African commercial and financial relations, has contributed strongly to the improvement of macroeconomic conditions in Africa. Export volumes and export profits have increased, while investments and aid have created new opportunities. However, the new relationship has raised once again the fundamental question regarding African countries’ dependence on primary goods exports. This analyzes the general features of Chinese expansion in Africa in the first decade of the twenty-first century, focusing on China’s foreign policy towards Africa, the new commercial and financial relations, and their impact on socioeconomic trends and structural change in Africa.