China’s Economic Influence in Africa: A Data-Driven Analysis

About the Report

Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), IE China Observatory, and IE Africa Program have launched a new report analyzing how African citizens perceive China’s growing economic presence across the continent.

This study draws on Afrobarometer survey data collected between 2016 and 2023 in 27 African countries. Unlike traditional analyses focused on trade volumes and government agreements, this report captures the voices of African citizens, offering a unique view of how China’s loans, infrastructure projects, and business engagement are experienced on the ground.

The research was led by Ma Bin, Academic Director of IE China Observatory, and Stone Shi, Professor at CKGSB and Associate Editor at Academy of Management Annals.

Key Findings

• Awareness of Chinese Assistance: Highest in Eastern and Western Africa—Kenya (74.2%) and Mauritius (67.5%)—and lowest in North African countries such as Tunisia (23.7%).
• Perception of Loan Conditions: China is seen as offering fewer conditionalities compared to Western lenders, particularly in West Africa.
• Debt Burden Concerns: Significant variation—64.7% in Kenya feel the debt burden is too high, while North and West African nations express lower concern.
• Positive Image Drivers: Infrastructure investment, business engagement, and the affordability of Chinese products are the top influences—not diplomatic or cultural factors.
• Development Model Preferences: China’s influence is growing but remains part of a competitive field alongside the U.S. and former colonial powers.
• Regional Variation: Economic influence has grown in countries like Morocco and Kenya, but softened in South Africa and Cameroon.

Contents

• 4 Foreword
  Enrico Letta, Dean, IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs & Chair of Global Policy Center, IE University
• 5 Globalization and Localization: Strategic Choices Driving the Long-Term Development of Chinese Enterprises
  Li Haitao, Dean, Dean’s Distinguished Chair Professor of Finance, and Director of Research Department on Family Business and Wealth Management, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB)
• 9 China’s Economic Influence in Africa: A Data-Driven Analysis
  Bin Ma, Academic Director, IE China Observatory
  Weilei (Stone) Shi, Professor at CKGSB and Associate Editor at Academy of Management Annals and Consulting Editor at Journal of Management Studies
• 22 China’s Economic Approach to Soft Power
  José Félix Valdivieso, Chairman of IE China Observatory
• 26 African Perspectives on the Global Power Scramble for Africa
  Joseph Asunka, CEO of Afrobarometer
  Gioia Serena Wang, Research Associate at Afrobarometer
• 29 Can China Sustain its Soft Power in Africa?
  Eniola Harrison, Director of the IE Africa Program
• 30 China and Africa: From Transactional Relationship to a Strategic Partnership
  Estela Li, President of China Club Spain
• 32 China–Africa Win-Win Cooperation in the Modern Era
  Margaret Chen, Founder and Honorary President of China Club Spain; CEO of Optimus Horizon
• 35 Infrastructure, Trade, and Diplomacy: China’s Strategic Commitment to Africa
  Ramón María Moreno, Secretary General of the Spain-China Foundation

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