A study by Boston University academics shows that nearly one-third, or $6.8bn, of the $25.6bn that China’s state-owned development banks lent last year to energy projects worldwide went to African countries. This was ahead of south Asia, with $5.84bn....
“We always thought China’s investments would help our economy,” says Amantha Perera, a Sri Lankan journalist and university researcher. “But now there’s a sense that we’ve been maneuvered into selling some of the family jewels.” Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport,...
The enormous project brings with it many vital questions, and, currently, few clear answers. What will the negotiations with Africa look like and who will be represented? How will financing be deployed and debt managed? How will land...
French suggests China’s place in the world today, and the increasingly robust manner in which it is engaged in the coastal areas surrounding it, must be understood through a historical lens. While there are clearly economic motivations for...
Though it might seem like a throwaway summer movie, the authorities appear committed to its vision, producing a parade of breathless praise in state media. After one film critic slammed the movie online as “bloody” and “psychopathic,” her online presence disappeared,...
The $6 million Chinese-owned donkey export slaughterhouse is one of three to open in Kenya in the last 18 months. Since the opening of the abattoirs, which process hundreds of donkeys a day, the price of an adult donkey in...
For me, it comes down to African agency: Are African governments doing enough to achieve gains that can be shared? Or are their citizens being left to pick up the tab? The issue isn’t just about an increasing amount...
The Chinese government on Friday has announced debt relief for Sudan worth $160 million saying it would provide additional 500 million Yuan (about $75 million) in financial assistance to Khartoum. China’s debt on Sudan is estimated at more than $10...
Oiva and Martino spent the last 12 months in China’s Nanjing city learning Mandarin, after being awarded scholarships by Chec to study a five-year degree. Chec is an international Chinese state-owned company specializing in large-scale construction projects such...
When the machines arrived last winter, the villagers in Zamashegu were mesmerized. Then came the gambling. “For me what China is doing here is economic colonialism,” said Esther Armah, a prominent radio host and lecturer at Webster University in...
