The Complete Beginner's Guide To China-Africa Relations 

If you are curious about the extraordinary evolution of China-Africa relations in the 21st century, look no further. Lina Getachew Ayenew has spent the past five years documenting China's emergence as a key player in Africa's economic development, distilling mega-themes from the work of leading researchers. Whether you are a student, journalist, diplomat, or business executive, "The Complete Beginner's Guide to China-Africa Relations" will provide the tools you need to understand the link between China and Africa, which together represent more than 1/3 of the world's population. This series covers the 2014-2018 time span, a crucial period in this shared history: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) roared across the globe, Africa welcomed Chinese tech advances and educational opportunities, China banned domestic ivory trade and Trump was elected. Lina discusses this and much more. 

 
 

The Complete Beginner's Guide To China-Africa Relations - 2014

The book is a time-capsule of the mega-themes in China-Africa relations up until 2014, so it discusses the historical background of China-Africa relations as well. Topics covered include:

  • China’s “non-interference” policy

  • China’s aid to Africa and how it differs from that of Western nations

  • China versus the United States in Africa in terms of trade, investment and influence

  • Bad quality goods flooding Africa, corruption and lack of transparency 

  • Environmental impact, ivory trade, and employment issues

  • What Africans think about Chinese entities in their continent 

The Complete Beginner's Guide To China-Africa Relations - 2015

Lina Ayenew discusses the following mega-themes and many others:

  • China’s role in curbing the Ebola epidemic in West Africa

  • How the Obama administration and China’s leadership cooperated on issues that are important to Africa 

  • China’s institutions and projects that offer alternatives to US-led organizations

  • China’s soft diplomacy in Africa: expansion of Chinese media and language

  • China’s high demand for ivory, the resulting destruction of African elephants and China’s efforts to combat poaching 

The Complete Beginner's Guide To China-Africa Relations - 2016

Lina Ayenew discusses the following mega-themes and many others:

  • How Japan and India have a renewed interest in Africa as both Asian nations look to counter China in the continent

  • The complex dynamics of ivory trade and how some African nations actually want to sell ivory 

  • China’s boats overfishing off the coast of West Africa

  • The racist laundry detergent ad aired in China that rocked the world

  • How Asia’s biggest African community in Guangzhou, China, is shrinking

The Complete Beginner's Guide To China-Africa Relations - 2017

Lina Ayenew discusses the following mega-themes and many others:

  • Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement 

  • How Trump is affecting the China-US-Africa dynamics

  • How the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) became a part of China’s constitution 

  • Sources of funding for the Belt and Road Initiative, which will apparently be worth one trillion USD

  • How the humble African donkey is victimized by Chinese demand 

  • Chinese Transsion mobile phones winning in Africa 

  • African students choosing China to further their education 

  • China’s work in African healthcare (combating Ebola, malaria, plague)

The Complete Beginner's Guide To China-Africa Relations - 2018

Lina Ayenew discusses the following mega-themes and many others:

  • China’s role in Africa’s debt

  • How Trump’s America and China are battling for influence in Africa, with the former accused of lacking an effective strategy

  • Sino-Indian competition for influence in African Indian Ocean islands

  • India and Japan collaborating to counter China in Africa

  • China’s impact on African rhinos, marine life, and donkeys

  • Race in Africa-China relations (the racist CCTV gala and Black Panther’s success in China)

  • China expands Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Africa