Highly Recommended Watch: China in Africa: should the West be worried? | The Economist
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In the past 20 years, China has built ever closer bonds with African nations. It has spent billions transforming infrastructure across the continent, and extending its influence into politics and society. It even placed its only overseas military base there. How worried should the West be?
00:00 - China in Africa: should the West be worried?
00:50 - The start of the relationship: transforming Africa’s infrastructure
02:49 - Africa’s diplomatic support for China
03:58 - The cost of Chinese lending
05:00 - China’s military presence in Africa
06:00 - How satirists are combatting China’s influence in Ghana
08:32 - China’s growing role in Africa’s digital infrastructure
11:00 - China’s influence: how the West should respond
Read more about China in Africa in our latest special report: https://econ.st/3aby4qE
Sign up to our daily newsletter for the latest coverage: https://econ.st/3PHrOHG
Find our most recent coverage on the Middle East & Africa: https://econ.st/3LpO4T6
How are debt repayment costs rising in African countries?: https://econ.st/3Gmv6vt
Zambia wants to be a model for resolving Africa’s debt crises: https://econ.st/3PCF5kN
Should the West be concerned about China’s growing military presence?: https://econ.st/3Nzwopl
How the West should respond to China’s search for foreign outposts:
https://econ.st/3yYhswR
How is the digital side of the Belt and Road Initiative growing?: https://econ.st/3GgmK8M
Africa’s ties to China and the West are starting to look more alike: https://econ.st/3wLdjLh
Turkey is making a big diplomatic and corporate push into Africa: https://econ.st/3GgtnIh
France tries to reset policy in Africa: https://econ.st/3MPfNOf
00:00 - China in Africa: should the West be worried?
00:50 - The start of the relationship: transforming Africa’s infrastructure
02:49 - Africa’s diplomatic support for China
03:58 - The cost of Chinese lending
05:00 - China’s military presence in Africa
06:00 - How satirists are combatting China’s influence in Ghana
08:32 - China’s growing role in Africa’s digital infrastructure
11:00 - China’s influence: how the West should respond
Read more about China in Africa in our latest special report: https://econ.st/3aby4qE
Sign up to our daily newsletter for the latest coverage: https://econ.st/3PHrOHG
Find our most recent coverage on the Middle East & Africa: https://econ.st/3LpO4T6
How are debt repayment costs rising in African countries?: https://econ.st/3Gmv6vt
Zambia wants to be a model for resolving Africa’s debt crises: https://econ.st/3PCF5kN
Should the West be concerned about China’s growing military presence?: https://econ.st/3Nzwopl
How the West should respond to China’s search for foreign outposts:
https://econ.st/3yYhswR
How is the digital side of the Belt and Road Initiative growing?: https://econ.st/3GgmK8M
Africa’s ties to China and the West are starting to look more alike: https://econ.st/3wLdjLh
Turkey is making a big diplomatic and corporate push into Africa: https://econ.st/3GgtnIh
France tries to reset policy in Africa: https://econ.st/3MPfNOf
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Francisco Gimeno - BC Analyst The presence of China in Africa always raises a huge debate on different topics, like neocolonization, spheres of power, economy as diplomacy, and so on. We have seen this with our own eyes: Chinese come to an African country, help it with development projects without the strings attached of Western countries (at least in public), try to get the most of business of this and that African country to go to China, so China gets the raw materials, and when the time is ripe they even build factories and infrastructures which benefit the African country and also Chinese economy which can export their know how, and its own citizens. There is no country in Africa now (with exception maybe of those mired in conflict) where the Chinese New Yer is not celebrated, and a Chinese Embassy is as big as the typical US one. Should the West be worried? Of course, but many African citizens prefer the deeds of China to the words of support and other well intentioned words from the West, having seen how their raw materials have been taken again and again for little benefit for them. At least the Chinese speak about growing together. The consequences long term? We will see. The West should engage better , in better conditions and faster with their African counterparts if they really want China's influence to be diminished.