The Conversation published on 15 October 2018 a commentary titled "Ties between African Countries and China Are Complex: Understanding This Matters" by Yu-Shan Wu, University of Witwatersrand, Chris Alden, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Cobus van Staden, South African Institute of International Affairs.
The authors argue that African governments exercise more agency than they are given credit for. This includes frequently playing China and traditional Western development partners off against one another.