China Establishes Africa Trade Hub

 PR Newswire published on 19 October 2025 an article titled "New China-Africa Trade Hub Opens in Guangzhou's Nansha."

A dedicated platform at Guangzhou is intended to attract more Africa related trade and promote Sino-African investment in agriculture, mining, energy, and ports.  

African Population in China Declines

 Africa Is a Country published on 7 June 2022 a commentary titled "Africans in China Are on the Move" by Jing Jing Liu.

Discriminatory COVID policies, increasing cost of living, and diminished purchasing power have reduced the Little Africa community (mostly Nigerians) in Guangzhou from an estimated high of 100,000 to just under 5,000 in 2020.  Some of the Africans are returning home; others are moving elsewhere in China.  

China-Africa Virtual COVID-19 Summit

The Daily Maverick published on 28 June 2020 a commentary titled "Not Much Give from China in its Relationship with Africa" by Cobus van Staden, South Africa Institute of International Affairs.

China's President Xi Jinping met virtually with African counterparts on 17 June 2020 to discuss COVID-19.  The author concluded that the virtual summit was more notable for what it did not do. 

Future of China-Nigeria Relations

The Conversation posted on 28 May 2020 a commentary titled "Why Maltreatment of Nigerians in China May Not End Soon" by Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, Lagos State University.

The author argues that the long-standing unequal relationship between Nigeria and China make it difficult to promote a return to normalcy in the aftermath of the Guangzhou incident.

China's Post-Coronavirus Future in Africa

The most recent edition of African  Current Issues prepared by the Centre for African Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore is devoted to "China's Post-Corona Future in Africa."

China has long held its partnership with Africa as strategically important, not just for its abundance of natural resources, but for the enormous market potential of Chinese exports.  China cannot afford to let Africa fail.  Africa cannot turn its back on China on which it depends so heavily for funding and to purchase its commodities.  Africa has a great deal to gain from China's continued economic success and the BRI-provided African states are able to exercise agency.  The post-coronavirus era may allow African states to improve their balance of power with China. 

Is Chinese Racism the Same as Western Racism?

CNN posted on 26 May 2020 a piece titled "China Says It Has a 'Zero-tolerance Policy' for Racism, but Discrimination towards Africans Goes Back Decades" by Jenni Walsh.

The CNN program looks at a history of discrimination towards Africans in China and compares Western and Chinese racism. 

Events in Guangzhou Fail to Reset Africa's Relations with China

African Arguments posted on 26 May 2020 a commentary titled "Last Month Could've Been a Real Turning Point for Africa-China Ties" by Barney Walsh, King's College London.

By treating racism against the African community in Guangzhou last month as an anomaly caused by local officials, China managed to end publicly expressed concerns by African leaders.  The outrage on African social media, however, is not likely to disappear anytime soon. 

As Problems with West Mount, China Reaches Out to Africa

CNN posted on 20 May 2020 a piece titled "As China Faces a Backlash in the West, Xi Needs Africa More Than Ever" by Jenni Marsh.

COVID-19 and the racism in Guangzhou have created a variety of challenges for China in the midst of already strained relations with the West.  In an effort to offset some of the damage, China is paying renewed attention to repairing relations with Africa.

China Sends COVID-19 Medical Teams to Africa

The South China Morning Post published on 17 May 2020 an article titled "Coronavirus: China's Aid Effort in Africa Is Nothing New, Observers Say" by Jevans Nyabiage.

China is sending medical teams to a number of African countries in an effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.  While generally appreciated, this is a sensitive matter in the aftermath of the mistreatment of the African community in Guangzhou. 

COVID-19 and Chinese Soft Power in Africa

Panda Paw Dragon Claw, a popular blog in China, posted on 10 May 2020 a question and answer with me titled "Covid-19 and Chinese Soft Power in Africa."

The Q and A deals with the African reaction to events in Guangzhou and China's handling of the criticism from the perspective of an outside observer. Briefly, those African governments that responded negatively are likely to put this behind them quickly but African publics and civil society are not going to forget Guangzhou any time soon. This is not the place for the American or Western governments to gloat; Africans and Chinese need to sort this out on their own.

The Genesis of the China-Africa Relationship

Panda Paw Dragon Claw posted on 2 May 2020 a thoughtful analysis titled "Bring Back the 'Bandung Spirit' in China-Africa Relationship" by Liu Haifang, Peking University.

The author concludes that the recent incident of racism in Guangzhou highlights the huge gap of language, culture and values between China and Africa, a reality that everyone needs to face in pursuing a sustainable cross-continental relationship. She urges that China's study of Africa must step outside the small echo chambers of think tanks and the restrictive focus on China-Africa economic collaboration.

African Response to Discrimination in Guangzhou

The Diplomat posted on 27 April 2020 a commentary titled "African Countries Respond to Guangzhou's 'Anti-Epidemic Measures'" by Eleanor Albert, PhD candidate at George Washington University.

The author concludes that the official African response to discrimination against Africans in Guangzhou has been restrained because China is a critical economic partner for many African countries.

China's Coronavirus Diplomacy in Africa Threatened

The Conversation posted on 17 April 2020 a commentary titled "Mistreatment of Africans in Guangzhou Threatens China's Coronavirus Diplomacy" by Hangwei Li, PhD candidate at the University of London.

The author suggests that because China has devoted so little effort to educate the Chinese public against racism there have been outbreaks of discrimination in places like Guangzhou and consequent challenges to China's attempts to improve relations with Africa post-coronavirus.

China-Africa Race Relations after Guangzhou

Panda Paw Dragon Claw posted on 20 April 2020 a commentary titled "After Guangzhou, 3 Things Will Shape China-Africa 'Brotherhood'" by Ma Tianjie, a Chinese environmental journalist and popular blogger who tracks Chinese public opinion on current events.

The author suggested the impact of discrimination against Africans in Guangzhou during the COVID-19 pandemic on Africans and Chinese will likely be long-lasting. Guangzhou will form part of the COVID-19 experience for China and Africa. Communities on both sides can choose to go along with the downward spiral or turn it into the beginning of a difficult yet necessary conversation.

China-Africa All Weather Relations versus COVID-19 Storm

The South China Morning Post published on 18 April 2020 an article titled "Is the China-Africa 'All-Weather' Relationship in the Midst of a Coronavirus Storm?" by Jevans Nyabiage.

China tries to tamp down the outrage in Africa over the racist treatment of Africans in Guangzhou by sending COVID-19 aid and medical teams to Africa.

Impact of COVID-19 on China-Africa Relations

Brookings posted on 17 April 2020 a commentary titled "COVID-19, Africans' Hardships in China, and the Future of Africa-China Relations" by Yun Sun.

The largest number of imported COVID-19 cases in Guangzhou is occurring among the large African community, which, as a result, is experiencing a spike in racist reaction. While discrimination against foreigners perceived to be carrying COVID-19 is not unique to China, the situation is creating a serious challenge for China's relations with Africa.

Debt and Coronavirus Merge in China-Africa Relationship

Politico posted on 16 April 2020 a commentary titled "Coronavirus Ends China's Honeymoon in Africa" by Simon Marks.

This commentary discusses the intersection of coronavirus in Africa and African debt owed to China, suggesting the combination poses a major challenge for China.

More on Africans and Racism in Guangzhou

The Council on Foreign Relations blog posted on 15 April 2020 a commentary titled "Despite New China-Africa Tension, Beijing Has a Pivotal Role to Play in China's COVID-19 Recovery" by Stephen Paduano, London School of Economics.

The situation Africans faced in Guangzhou during the COVID-19 crisis is one of the few occasions when several African leaders have criticized Beijing publicly on any issue, although that criticism has quieted down. This is not, however, the time for Western officials to pile on. The author adds that China still has an important role to play in helping to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Africa.

My comment: The West is not credible in Africa on most matters related to China, including this one. Africans, in this situation, are perfectly capable of making the case against China on their own and they are credible. African officials may tamp down their criticism in order to avoid harming relations with Beijing; the African street is likely to have a long memory.

China Trying to Contain Damage Following Racism against Africans in Guangzhou

Foreign Policy posted on 15 April 2020 a commentary titled "China's Racism Is Wrecking Its Success in Africa" by Celine Sui, a US-based journalist.

The author reports on the racism experienced by the African community, including many from Nigeria, in Guangzhou over concerns that COVID-19 is prevalent among Africans. There was also an apparent increase in virulent racism aimed at Africans on Chinese social media.

Chinese officials and embassies in Africa moved quickly to contain the damage and have had some success with African officials. Nigerian leaders have already reversed course and others have moved on to other issues. The big question is the impact this will have on the African street. That may be harder to silence.

Afro-Chinese Identity Issues

The Diplomat published on 31 July 2019 a commentary titled "The Evolution of Afro-Chinese Identity" by Layne Vandenberg.

The growing Chinese diaspora in Africa and African diaspora in China is resulting in larger numbers of Afro-Chinese children. China does not recognize dual citizenship, forcing Afro-Chinese parents to make hard choices.