More than ten years ago, a Congolese minister of construction and housing spoke with a French journalist about his fascination with China’s growing role on the continent. He described how China was becoming a mainstream engine of African development, transforming elites and reshaping colonial-era legacies along the way. He cited projects like stadium construction, the foreign affairs complex, and a television center. He noted improvements to Brazzaville’s sewage system, the construction of an airport, and plans for a highway from Point-Noire to Brazzaville and new apartment blocks. The minister summed it up: this was a win-win situation, and he felt sympathy for Western observers. The Chinese, he said, were to be admired.
Since then, Beijing’s footprint in Africa has only grown. By 2009 China surpassed the United States as Africa’s top trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching hundreds of billions of dollars and continuing to rise into 2021, a figure comparable to trade with the European Union. China has also become a leading investor, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and serving as a major lender for African governments. Africa, together with Asia, has become the continent where China sees the largest market for construction and infrastructure. The so-called New Silk Road has become a cornerstone of its foreign policy, with major infrastructure projects across some 150 countries worldwide under the leadership of Xi Jinping.
China’s presence in Africa was not created from a single moment but emerged from a longer arc. In the Cold War era, the country backed Marxist liberation movements and pursued access to raw materials. Today, its influence is multiplied through bilateral trade agreements with roughly 40 of 54 African nations. In places like Angola and Sudan, China secures oil; in Eritrea, copper and zinc; in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cobalt; in Zimbabwe, tobacco; in Sierra Leone, iron and titanium, to name a few examples. State and private firms alike build roads, ports, reservoirs, rail lines, buildings, and power stations—critical infrastructure for Africa’s ascent.
Internalization for domestic reasons
China’s international expansion has to be understood in a local context, seen as an implicit agreement between the Chinese Communist Party and its people: political power is stable, and in return, the population enjoys rising prosperity. This approach began to take shape around 1999, around the time China joined the World Trade Organization and opened its markets. The country saw urbanization and rapid industrial needs for strategic resources, and it chose not to leave those resources to the mercy of the market. As a result, Africa became a key stage for engagement, with tens of thousands of Chinese companies operating there and, according to a major consulting firm, close to a million Chinese nationals migrating to the continent since 2000.
Observers note that others view Africa through humanitarian or security lenses, but China tends to see both job opportunities and geopolitical leverage as essential to its growth model. More than three-quarters of Chinese investments in Africa have focused on mining and raw materials, but the investments are often paired with financing and infrastructure. It is a strategy many describe as a calculated bet. Some analysts warn that certain projects may imitate a colonial pattern, aiming to extract resources for China while leaving local populations with limited direct benefit. Yet unlike Western counterparts, Beijing does not condition its engagement on specific political reforms or human rights messaging; it operates in a pragmatic, results-oriented way that emphasizes economic gains and broad cooperation.
Development model
That approach has proved controversial because some projects raise environmental concerns and expose workers to challenging conditions. A recent Afrobarometer survey across 34 African countries showed that while a sizable share of respondents viewed Chinese investment positively, a larger proportion favored the American development model over the Chinese one. The data suggest that while African elites may welcome Beijing’s resource-backed growth, the public may harbor more skepticism about the long-term benefits and governance norms associated with Chinese projects.
Still, China has opened doors that were previously closed. The establishment of its first military base abroad in Djibouti in 2017 signaled a broader global footprint, with analysts arguing that the move is more about strategic posture than direct military confrontation. There are reports of quiet agreements that could extend Beijing’s influence, including conversations about new bases further along the Atlantic coast. Despite the differences with the United States, many African officials express a pragmatic outlook: a strong economic relationship with China can coexist with a stable, albeit cautious, engagement with the United States.
Ultimately, Beijing’s strategy appears to be anchored in practical outcomes rather than ideological commitments. It seeks a stable, expanding market, reliable access to resources, and a role as a global infrastructure partner, while balancing its own domestic priorities. For many African nations, this keeps a powerful option on the table—one that can accelerate development even as it invites scrutiny about governance, environmental impact, and the distribution of benefits.