Publication: "Understanding the success of China’s foreign policies in Africa through the prism of African Agency"

Youssef Bouri, Research Project Manager at IFRA-Nigeria, recently published a report for the Centre for Democracy and Development titled "Understanding the success of China’s foreign policies in Africa through the prism of African Agency" as the 9th Forum on China–Africa Cooperation took place in September. China has been Africa’s largest trading partner since 2008 and its leading provider of Foreign Direct Investment since 2013. Despite the economic asymmetries in their relationship, which have fueled narratives of "debt trap diplomacy" and a "new scramble for Africa", this report shifts the focus to the agency of African leaders within this partnership. Rather than concentrating on China's intentions, the report examines how China’s foreign policy principles and initiatives, such as the Five principle of peaceful coexistence, the Belt and Road Initiative and FOCAC, empower African leaders to exercise agency.

The report is freely accessible here