Is China’s Role in African Fragile States Exploitative or Developmental?
Abstract
China’s increasing engagement in Africa has generated heated debates over
the extent to which its activities are exploitative or developmental. There
is particular concern over China’s impact on governance in fragile states.
However, these debates often make generalisations and leave out African
agency. This Policy Briefing takes a closer look at Rwanda and the Democratic
Republic of Congo, and finds that there is a large gap between China’s policy
and practice. It finds that the ways in which African actors promote, respond to
and negotiate its engagement is crucial in shaping the extent to which China
contributes to development.