Ethiopia's Economy Moves from China Model to Africa's Free Agent

 Forbes published on 1 July 2026 an article titled "Ethiopia: From China's Star Pupil to Africa's Free Agent" by Wesley Alexander Hill.

For years, China found an eager partner in Meles Zenawi's Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which ruled Ethiopia and embraced elements of China's development model.  It delivered impressive economic growth for many years, but it also contained structural weaknesses that Beijing's own system largely avoided.  

The rise of Abiy Ahmed marked the end of this era.  Ethiopia's current economic strategy represents one of Africa's most consequential experiments in macroeconomic liberalization.

China Promotes Its Language and Culture in Africa

 Deutsche Welle published on 28 September 2025 an article titled "How China Promotes Its Language and Culture in Africa" by Martina Schwikowski.  

China's Confucius Institutes offer courses on Chinese culture and Mandarin language in 49 African countries.  There is some concern, however, that this instruction comes with an effort to propagate Chinese political values.  

The China-Africa Media Relationship

 Made in China Journal published on 5 February 2025 an article titled "Global China and African Journalistic Agency: A Relational Perspective" by Hangwei Li, German Institute of Development and Sustainability.  

The author provides an overview of the relational perspective to understand African media interactions and their 

Africa-China Relations in 2025

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 7 January 2025 a commentary titled "What to Expect from Africa-China Relations in 2025" by Paul Nantulya.

China will continue to promote its governance model in Africa, enlist support to reshape global norms, secure the supply of critical minerals, strengthen party-to-party ties, and increase military outreach.  The major items on the agenda of African countries are market access, balanced trade with China, and adding value to exports.

The Future of China-Africa Relations

 The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published on 21 November 2024 an analysis titled "What FOCAC 2024 Reveals About the Future of China-Africa Relations" by Christian-Geraud Neema.

China called for modernization in Africa or the right to industrialize according to one's own background without being forced to follow Western norms.  China is promoting a variety of governance models and approaches to development and modernization that undercut the Western-led international order, norms, and values.  

China is positioning itself as Africa's development partner and international ally.  But there is no guarantee China's approach will be fairer or more advantageous for Africa.  So far, the United States has not responded with a clear counter strategy.

Chinese Communist Party Diplomacy in Africa

 Megatrends Afrika published in October 2024 a policy brief titled "Pragmatic, Strategic and Wide-Reaching: The CCP's Party Diplomacy in Africa" by Christine Hackenesch and Julia Bader.  

The policy brief analyses recent patterns and motives of China's party diplomacy in Africa.  It finds that the CCP maintains close ties with the main ruling parties in southern Africa and in some countries in East Africa, while engaging with a broad range of parties in countries in North Africa.  Beijing's party diplomacy in Africa seeks to promote China's core foreign policy interests, advance an alternative narrative on global China, and normalize China's authoritarian system.

Chinese Communist Party and Kenya's Ruling Party Strengthen Relations

 The South China Morning Post published on 5 November 2024 an article titled "With Chinese Official's Visit, Kenyan President Says Deal to Fund and Build Highway Is Close" by Jevans Nyabiage.  

Kenya's ruling United Democratic Alliance party held talks with a visiting senior Chinese Communist Party official to learn from Communist Party successes in political party building and to seek support for party training facilities.  

Kenya's Ruling Party Expresses Interest in Chinese Communist Party Governance Model

 Mwakashili.com posted on 3 November 2024 an article titled "Chinese Communist Party Delegation Begins Three-Day Visit" by Martin Olage.

Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is on a three-day visit to Kenya arranged by the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).  The visit builds on growing ties between the CPC and UDA, which reportedly is seeking insights from the CPC's governance model.  The UDA is also pursuing funding from the CPC for construction of a new party headquarters.  

China's Security Engagement in Africa Challenges the West's Approach

 The European Hub for Contemporary China posted on 21 October 2024 a commentary titled "China's Security Engagement with Africa & the 'Global South' Narrative" by Fatoumata Diallo and Maud Deschamps.  

As African countries have grown increasingly disillusioned with Western security engagement, China has progressively assumed a more assertive role in African security, shifting from a norm-taker to a norm-shaper approach.  China's influence presents challenges for the EU's engagement in Africa, necessitating a reassessment of its approach to security cooperation with African nations  

China's "New" Modernization Model for the Global South

 The Diplomat published on 10 October 2024 a commentary titled "China Pitches Its Model of Modernization to the Global South" by Shruti Jargad, New Delhi-based Centre for Social and Economic Progress.

The author identifies four central tenants of China's "new" modernization model for the Global South.  They are: (1) economic globalization conducted by a strong party-led state; (2) non-interference in domestic political affairs and a focus on training and sharing governance strategies; (3) mutual reinforcement of high-quality development and greater security; and (4) a focus on infrastructure combined with people centric "small and beautiful" development.  

The Broader Meaning of FOCAC 2024

 Megatrends Afrika posted on 16 September 2024 a commentary titled "FOCAC 2024: Moving Away from Large Infrastructure Deals towards Normative Power of China" by Hangwei Li and Christine Hackenesch.

FOCAC 2024 shifted away from large-scale infrastructure deals towards "small yet beautiful" projects, thereby responding to international criticism on debt sustainability, and reflecting China's own economic slowdown.  FOCAC also demonstrated how China is increasingly positioning itself as a normative power in Africa, emphasizing its own modernization experiences as a potential model for African countries.  FOCAC stressed Xi Jinping's concept of "shared future" with Africa and China's "shared past" with the continent.  

The Middle East's View of the China Model

 The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published in September 2024 a report titled "The Middle East's View of the 'China Model'" by Jon B. Alterman.  

The CSIS Middle East Program researched Arab populations' desire for an alternative development model to the one proffered by Western states.  The project focused on Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

The study concluded that China's Middle East strategy is focused on the United States, but China is not engaged in straightforward competition.  China's strategy does not seek to replace the United States in the Middle East, push it out, or outcompete it.  Instead, China is working to untie the Middle East from the United States and to make the region and world more receptive to China.

China will continue to seek to increase its role in the Middle East.  The United States should not fear China's presence.  Rather, Washington needs to sharpen regional understandings of the value of U.S. partnerships, lower the costs of maintaining them, and clarify the consequences of undermining them.  

Exporting the China Model to Africa

 The South China Morning Post published on 18 September 2024 an article titled "How China Is Showing Its Development and Governance Experience" by Jevans Nyabiage.

China has stepped up its efforts to export its governance and development model to countries in Africa.  At the level of African ruling political parties, there is the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology in Zimbabwe, which China refurbished and where it provides training.  An even better example is the CPC-funded Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Tanzania for the ruling political parties in Tanzania, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.  

Why Does the China-Africa Summit Matter?

 Radio Free Asia published on 3 September 2024 an article titled "EXPLAINED: What Is the China-Africa Summit and Why Does It Matter?" by Luisetta Mudie.  

The article discusses the issues that are likely to come up at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing that begins on 4 September, China's changing approach to infrastructure financing, and its goal of exporting Chinese-sponsored international norms to African countries.  

How China Presses Its Governance Model on the Global South

 The Atlantic Council published on 13 June 2024 an analysis titled "A Global South with Chinese Characteristics" by Niva Yau.  

China has embarked on a steadily expanding mission to promote its political system alongside its economic engagement across the Global South.  Even as China's economic growth has slowed significantly and its political system has grown more repressive under Xi Jinping, the number of countries welcoming Chinese governance lessons continues to grow, enhancing Beijing's global influence.  This has significant implications for the future of democracy, the protection of individual rights, and the nature of the global order.

One way that Beijing promotes authoritarian governance is through training programs for foreign government officials on Chinese governance practices.  This analysis investigates a new dataset of Chinese government files on such training, revealing how China uses these sessions to directly promote ideas and practices that marry economics and politics to make a case for its authoritarian capitalism model.  The analysis outlines the content Beijing teaches foreign officials and the anticipated benefits to Beijing from these programs.  It also explains how these initiatives fit into China's broader ambitions to undermine the liberal democratic norms that currently underpin the global order.  

African Perceptions of the China Development Model

Megatrends Afrika published in October 2023 a paper titled "What Explains African Perceptions of China as a Model of Development?" by Oscar M. Otele, University of Nairobi. 

Using Afrobarometer survey data, this paper utilizes multivariate logit models to account for the differences in perceptions among countries.  The paper establishes that education, gender, the rural-urban divide, and respondent's perceptions of the influence of China's economic activities on the country's economy accounted for the differences.

China Emphasizes Education for African Military Personnel

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 30 October 2023 an analysis titled "China's 'Military Political Work' and Professional Military Education in Africa" by Paul Nantulya.  

The People's Liberation Army's (PLA) service branches were educating about 2,000 African military officers annually at military and political academies prior to COVID-19.  At least 50 African countries participate regularly in Chinese professional military education (PME).  

African Union officials have repeatedly warned that it is a bad idea to invite military intervention in politics and to socialize militaries to serve the party in power.  Yet, this is the theory behind Chinese PME.  African students enrolled in Chinese military academies are exposed to China's worldviews and ways of doing things, including PLA strategic culture, how the Communist Party operates, and how it interacts with and controls China's armed forces.  

Politico Singles Out Our New China-Africa Book

 The end of Politico's "China Watcher" column dated 19 October 2023 by Phelim Kine includes a nice plug under "One Book, Three Questions" for our new book titled "China's Relations with Africa: A New Era of Strategic Engagement" published by Columbia University Press.

China's Emerging Strategy in Africa

 The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) posted on 10 October 2023 an hour long podcast titled "Knitting the Pieces of China's Emerging Strategy in Africa."

The podcast pulls together the threads of China's current strategy in Africa and how it relates to great power competition.  It includes comments by Nadege Rolland and Rachel Bernstein, both with NBR, Yunnan Chen, Overseas Development Institute, Daria Impiombato, Australian Policy Institute, Mareike Ohlberg, German Marshall Fund, Mandira Bagwandeen, University of Cape Town, and Roukaya Kasenally, University of Mauritius.  

A Provincial China Model for Africa

 The South African Institute of International Affairs published in July 2023 a paper titled "The Hunan Model: China's Zone for the China-Africa Future" by Lauren Johnston.  

The paper finds that an emerging Hunan model, named after the central south Chinese province in China, builds upon its comparative strengths in agriculture, construction machinery, and mining and metallurgy, as well as its recent role in poverty eradication.  It may offer a model for advancing China-Africa economic ties.  The paper offers conclusions on how African countries can make the most of the model for their own development.