"Build it, and they will come" is China’s dictum for infrastructure construction at home, but has it been able to do the same in Africa? A new report by the National Bureau of Asian Research looks at just how well China’s huge investments in that continent are turning out.
The basic numbers are impressive: Over the last 20 years, a small handful of Chinese financiers and state-owned enterprises have financed one in five new infrastructure projects across Africa, and built a third of them. Over half of the Chinese-funded projects are transport sector-related, including ports and railways, followed by those in energy and power.
But not all projects have produced windfall gains, and Chinese stakeholders have faced several challenges. This week, The Wire takes stock of China’s infrastructure in Africa, the companies involved, and how it stands to gain.
WHAT HAS CHINA BUILT?
Data: Kardon, Chen and Downs via National Bureau of Asian Research (2022)
A quarter
Subscribe or login to read the rest.
Subscribers get full access to:
- Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
- A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
- A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our
Subscriptions page for details.