African Traders in China and Chinese Traders in Africa

 The Migration Policy Institute published on 21 July 2021 an article titled "As Migration and Trade Increase between China and Africa, Traders at Both Ends Often Face Precarity" by Daouda Cisse.

Many African migrant entrepreneurs and traders who reside in China and Chinese migrants in Africa live in difficult circumstances.  An estimated 500,000 African migrants live in China and an estimated one to two million Chinese reside or work in Africa, although many are not entrepreneurs and traders.

Africans Moving from China to Vietnam?

VN Express International published on 8 May 2018 an article titled "Rising Costs in China Make African Entrepreneurs Look To Vietnam" by Mi Na.

The number of Africans living in Guangzhou, China, has been dropping due to the rising cost of living and visa issues. Some are looking to move to markets in Vietnam, India, and Cambodia.

African Migrants in China

The Africa Studies Quarterly published by the University of Florida devoted its February 2018 issue to "China-Africa Relations: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives on African 'Migrants' in China."

The issue contains the following articles:

--Introduction - China-Africa Relations: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives on African "Migrants" in China by Agnes Ngoma Leslie
--African Students in China: Research, Reality, and Reflection by Li Anshan
--From Pioneers to Professionals: African Brokers in a Maturing Chinese Marketplace by Heidi Ostbo Haugen
--The Bridge Is Not Burning Down: Transformation and Resilience within China's African Diaspora Communities by Adams Bodomo
--Transient: A Descriptive Concept for Understanding Africans in Guangzhou by Dong Niu

Some African Traders Leaving China

Pambazuka News published on 9 March 2018 a commentary titled "African Traders in China: Is the Honeymoon Over?" by Daouda Cisse, independent researcher based in Canada.

In the last couple of years small numbers of African traders living in China have been leaving. The author argues that those who are leaving are concerned about overstaying their visas compounded by a more difficult business climate following the drop in world commodity prices. China's economic restructuring reportedly is not a significant factor.

Chinese Traders in Senegal

The New York Times published on 23 May 2017 an article titled "Chinese Merchants Thrive in Senegal, Where People 'Needed Stuff'" by Andrew Jacobs.

The arrival of Chinese traders in Senegal has been a mixed blessing. The low-end merchandise they import sustains countless peddlers, many of whom fan out into the countryside and other countries in West Africa. Less pleased are the Senegalese traders who used to travel to China to buy the same goods but have been squeezed out.

Chinese Migrants Leave South Africa

Quartz Africa published on 30 April 2017 a story titled "Chinese Migrants Have Changed the Face of South Africa. Now They're Leaving" by Lily Kuo.

South Africa hosts an estimated 350,000 to 500,000 persons of Chinese origin. Some of the families go back several generations while most of them are recent arrivals. The author suggests that today more Chinese traders and entrepreneurs are leaving South Africa than are arriving. The reasons are a bad South African economy, rising xenophobia, crime, and competition from new malls as well as African traders who have forged their own connections in China.

Chinese in Africa

Asia Times published on 19 January 2017 a three part series on Chinese communities in Africa by Doug Tsuruoka. The articles are titled "Chinese in Africa - A Mobile Group with Few Ties to Beijing," "'Independents' Make for a Diverse Chinese Diaspora in Africa," and "Where the Chinese Live in Africa."

Chinese Migrants in Africa: The Numbers Game

African Arguments posted on 19 December 2016 a brief analysis titled "We May Have Been Massively Overestimating the Number of Chinese Migrants in Africa" by Hannah Postel, migration researcher at the Center for Global Development in Washington.

This analysis, based on a year of research in Zambia, looks specifically at the number of Chinese migrants in Zambia. An estimate of 80,000 has commonly been used for Zambia. Her research suggests the actual number is between 13,000 and 23,000. There is also a problem of definition. What constitutes a migrant? Obviously someone who moves permanently qualifies. But what about laborers contracted to work on infrastructure projects, nearly all of whom return to China, and even small traders who may or may not remain for an extended period of time? Senior Chinese officials often use the estimate of one million Chinese living in Africa. But this number too is guesswork.

AFK Insider published on 19 January 2017 an article titled "20 African Countries with the Most Chinese Migrants, And Why These Statistics Are Problematic" by Dana Sanchez. The article provides an estimate of the number of Chinese migrants for 20 African countries.

This article is correct in emphasizing the problematic nature of the numbers of Chinese migrants in Africa. Based on my own experience in asking this question while travelling around Africa, the estimates vary widely. I found that the Chinese embassy consistently had the lowest estimate because it tended to be based on Chinese actually registered at the embassy and many Chinese do not register. Other Chinese and African sources usually had much higher numbers, some ridiculously high. If one includes temporary Chinese laborers in the numbers, the figure can vary enormously from one year to another. As a project is completed, the number falls significantly and as one begins, the number rises.

Criticism of Small Chinese Traders in Africa

The New Times, published in Rwanda, carried a story titled "The Raw Side of Chinese Traders" by Gitura Mwaura.

The author describes a growing negative reaction by African traders and even African governments to the influx of small Chinese traders who are competing with African traders. He cites examples from Uganda, Rwanda, Namibia, and Malawi.

One Million Chinese in Africa

SAIS Perspectives published on 12 May 2016 a commentary titled "One Million Chinese in Africa" by Yoon Jung Park, the convener of the Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Research Network.

The author puts in perspective the presence in Africa of the one million or so Chinese laborers and traders and the challenges they pose.

Chinese Traders in Namibia

Pambazuka News published on 3 February 2016 an article titled "Chinese Traders in Windhoek" by Daouda Cisse, University of Alberta. 

The number of Chinese traders in Namibia is increasing and leading to allegations of growing corruption and resentment by Namibians.  The Chinese traders reportedly have no contact with the Chinese embassy in Windhoek. 

Chinese Migrant Shopkeepers in South Africa

International Migration Review published in its spring 2014 issue an article titled "'Big Fish in a Small Pond': Chinese Migrant Shopkeepers in South Africa" by Edwin Lin at the University of California, Berkeley.  

The author argues that the Chinese move to South Africa because of a desire to venture out of China to pursue freedoms associated with being one's own boss.  Once in South Africa, they choose to stay because of comfortable weather and a slower pace of life, despite losing freedoms associated with high crime in Johannesburg. 

African Migrants in China

This is Africa published on 4 February 2014 a piece titled "Going East: African Migrants Head for China" by Eleanor Whitehead.  The author discusses the pluses and minuses of Africans living in China. 

Sino-African Traders in Senegal and China

The December 2013 issue of African Review of Economics and Finance published an article titled "South-South Migration and Sino-African Small Traders: A Comparative Study of Chinese in Senegal and Africans in China" by Daouda Cisse, Centre for Chinese Studies, Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

The author explores the composition, background, profile, business organization and networks of Chinese traders in Senegal and African traders, especially those from North Africa, in Yiwu, China. 

Chinese Traders in Dakar, Senegal

Migration Information Source published on 18 July 2013 a study by Daouda Cisse titled "A Portrait of Chinese Traders in Dakar, Senegal."  It explores the growing presence of Chinese migrants in the capital city based on interviews.  It concludes that Chinese traders have changed urban spaces and the small business environment in Senegal.  Migration Information Source is published by the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank that focuses on international migration.