Knitting the Pieces of China’s Emerging Strategy in Africa

Yunnan Chen is a London-based researcher in the Development and Public Finance program at ODI, where her work centers on the changing global development finance architecture and China’s global footprint.

Daria Impiombato is a research analyst specializing in Chinese technology and human rights at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Center.

Mareike Ohlberg is a Berlin-based Senior Fellow in the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund, specializing in China’s global influence networks and tactics.

Mandira Bagwandeen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town, where she focuses on Africa’s regional integration and industrialization and China-Africa relations.

Roukaya Kasenally is a democracy scholar and Associate Professor at the University of Mauritius. She is also the current chair of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, a board member of West African Democracy Radio, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Electoral Integrity Project.

Nadège Rolland is Distinguished Fellow, China Studies, at NBR.

Timestamps

[1:00] Overviewing the project and how China’s strategy for the African continent has evolved.

[10:43] Observing the changing realities of China’s infrastructure development in Africa and tracing the presence and impact of Belt and Road Initiative in African countries.

[16:01] How will China’s investment in Africa’s critical infrastructure play a transformative role in supporting Africa’s industrial strategies?

[23:15] What is the CCP’s United Front Work’s presence in Africa, and what are its broader objectives?

[24:40] Where is China deepening security ties with African countries?

[26:07] How might Africa be an “exterior line” that China can use to disturb or divert the attention of the United States and contain the Indo-Pacific Strategy?

[30:08] How might the ideological contest centered on values become an important aspect of U.S.-China competition as it relates to the African continent.

[33:45] Who are the main actors and targets in Beijing’s influence operations on the African continent?

[42:34] How can African countries leverage their increasing presence on the global stage to their own advantage?

[44:20] How can Western countries be proactive rather than reactive with respect to China’s engagement with African countries?

[48:00] What still needs to be studied regarding China’s relations with Africa and its influence and impact?