Will African Countries Stand Up to China?

 The BBC posted on 2 December 2025 an article titled "Devastating Toxic Spill Seen as Test of Whether African Countries Will Stand Up to China" by Mayeni Jones.

The collapse in Zambia of a tailings dam for a Chinese copper mining company resulted in a toxic mess for the local population.  It is now up to the Zambian government to hold the company fully responsible.  This has become a test of how hard Zambia is willing to pressure a company whose government holds $5 billion of its debt.  

Text of Legal Injunction to Stop Dismantling of USAID

 The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) filed on 6 February a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief against Donald Trump, the US Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, the United States Treasury Department, Marco Rubio, and Scott Bessent.

The action seeks "injunctive relief with respect to a series of unconstitutional and illegal actions taken by President Donald Trump and his administration that have systematically dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)."  The plaintiffs "seek a temporary restraining order directing Defendents to reverse these unlawful actions and to halt any further steps to dissolve the agency until the Court has an opportunity to more fully consider the issues on the merits."

Trump-appointed federal judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved on 7 February a limited temporary restraining order that would block USAID employees from being put on administrative leave.  Details on the pause will follow in a forthcoming filing.

Young Chinese Seeking Work in Africa

 Sixth Tone published on 22 December 2022 an article titled "With Jobs at Home Scarce, Young Chinese are Heading to Africa" by Li Yijuan.  

As jobs become more scarce in China and trade with Africa is expanding, more young Chinese, especially second tier university graduates, are looking for work in Africa based on social media advertisements.  The author acknowledged it is not clear how many young Chinese are going to Africa to find work.

Gulf State Financial Flows to Northeast Africa

 The American Enterprise Institute published an updated version of its "Gulf Financial Aid and Direct Investment: Tracking the Implications of State Capitalism, Aid, and Investment Flows" by Karen E. Young.  

The study looks at capital investment and jobs created by the Gulf States from 2003 to 2020 in several states, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Sudan.  The study compares Gulf State investment with that from China, EU, UK, and US.  It also includes an interactive data tracker.  

Gulf State Financial Flows to Horn of Africa and Elsewhere

 The American Enterprise Institute published in August 2020 a study titled "Gulf Financial Aid and Direct Investment: Tracking the Implications of State Capitalism, Aid, and Investment Flows" by Karen E. Young.  

The report describes the breadth and scope of Gulf State aid and financial flows into Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, and Yemen.  China is capturing most of the press attention; the Gulf States collectively are much bigger players in these countries.  

Ethiopia: The Economics of a Chinese-built Industrial Park

The Guardian published on 5 December 2017 an article titled "Park Life: Workers Struggle To Make Ends Meet at Ethiopia's $250m Industrial Zone" by William Davison.

This is a journalistic account of the economic challenges faced by a textile company operating in Ethiopia's Hawassa Industrial Park, which was built by China. Low wages and cheap electricity attract companies to the industrial park, but relatively high transportation costs and a rising cost of living for workers are raising questions about the long-term profitably of the company.

Ethiopian Prime Minister: China a Model on Job Growth for Ethiopia and US

The Wall Street Journal published on 2 February 2017 an article titled "Ethiopian Premier, a China Ally, Calls Beijing a Model for U.S. on Job Growth" by Matina Stevis. The full article is only available by subscription.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in referring to job growth said "China has become a model not only for Ethiopia but now even for the new administration of the United States." I am not sure how one reconciles the Trump administration's emphasis on "America First" and China's emphasis on globalization and international trade.

Foreign Direct Investment in Africa 2015

Ernst and Young just published its Attractiveness Survey Africa 2015: Making Choices.  It contains a wealth of current information, primarily on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa.

In 2014, the number of new FDI projects in Africa fell 8.4 percent but remained well above 2008 levels.  Capital investment in Africa, however, surged to $128 billion, up 136 percent over 2013.  FDI investors returned enthusiastically to Egypt and Morocco and increased their projects in Ethiopia and Mozambique.  There were fewer projects in South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya.

There was a slight drop in the attractiveness of Africa for investment as a region.  Africa dropped from 2nd to 4th place in regional rankings after Oceania, North America, and Asia.  FDI in Africa has grown five fold since 2000 and is forecast to overtake  official development assistance (ODA) in 2015.  FDI is projected to reach just over $55 billion compared to just under $55 billion for ODA.  Portfolio investment is predicted to grow to $18 billion and remittances an astounding $65 billion.

Collectively, European investors began by far the largest number of FDI projects in Africa in 2014.  The United States was the largest single country investor, launching 101 FDI projects or almost 14 percent of all projects in Africa.  The UK and South Africa tied for second, the UAE was fourth, France fifth, and Germany sixth.  Although Chinese investment soared in 2014, it was only number 7 with the launching of 32 FDI projects valued at $6.1 billion and 4.4 percent of the total number of new projects.

China's Special Representative on African Affairs Answers Critics

In an interview on 6 August 2013 with Edward Paice, director of the Africa Research Institute, Ambassador Zhong Jianhua, China's special representative on African affairs, responds frankly to common criticisms of China's policy and conduct in Africa.  In particular, he answers the criticism by Lamido Sanusi, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, that China is exploiting Africa in much the same way as the former colonial powers. 

Ambassador Zhong makes especially interesting comments on the inadequacy of Chinese official data, noting that President Xi Jinping used during his March 2013 visit to Durban a figure of $50 billion of Chinese investment in Africa, much higher than the previous official figure of about $15 billion.  He quickly adds that $50 billion is just an estimate.  I am convinced that China does not know the total amount of its FDI in Africa. 

Edward Paice and his colleague at the Africa Research Institute, Jonathan Bhalla, published something of a rejoinder on 16 August 2013 titled "China's New Competitor: Africa." They concluded that engagement between China and Africa over the next decade will be much more complex, even messier, than in the past. This will be confusing for the dragon-slayers and panda-huggers. "China: friend or foe" will be an inadequate frame of reference.