The Belt and Road Initiative: Momentum of a Decade of Chinese Engagement in Africa

The Belt and Road Initiative: Momentum of a Decade of Chinese Engagement in Africa

By SinAfricaNews October 22, 2023 0 Comments

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Africa is considered a key partner of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), due to its crucial need for better infrastructure which is still seen as a major barrier to the continent’s development. Africa’s untapped natural resources also make it an attractive destination for BRI projects related on trade, investments and technological transfer. As of today, Among the 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, 52, plus the African Union Commission, have signed BRI cooperation documents with China. This shows how the objectives of the BRI align with the development goals of the African continent as set up by the AU Agenda 2063.

After 10 years of cooperation in the frame of BRI, major infrastructural projects have been implemented and achieved in Africa. Over the last decade, China has helped African countries build over 6000 kilometers of railway, 6000 kilometers of road, around 20 ports, over 80 large power facilities, and more than 130 hospitals and 170 schools, and the list goes on. The value of newly contracted projects signed by Chinese enterprises in African countries has exceeded $700 billion over the past 10 years, and the completed turnover was over $400 billion. **According to the China BRI Investment Report 2023 H1, Sub-Saharan Africa saw a 130% year-on-year increase in Chinese investments related to the BRI during the first half** of 2023, and a 69% increase in Chinese construction contract engagements.

the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, estimates that from 2000-2022, 39 Chinese lenders provided 1,243 loans amounting to $170.08 billion to 49 African governments and 7 regional institutions. This has led some Western critics to whisper the expression “Debt-Trap Diplomacy”. As for environmental concerns, the construction of infrastructure projects such as ports, oil pipelines, railways, highways and airports have led into significant environmental impacts such as deforestation, air and water pollution, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity.

From 2000-2022, 39 Chinese lenders provided 1,243 loans amounting to $170.08 billion to 49 African governments and 7 regional institutions. This has led some Western critics to whisper the expression “Debt-Trap Diplomacy”.

In the opening of the 2017 BRI Forum for International Cooperation, the Chinese president Xi Jinping stated that the BRI should “pursue the new vision of green development and a way of life and work that is green, low-carbon, circular and sustainable” in accordance with the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

As matter of fact, within 2021-2022, up to 21% of BRI investment in Africa was oriented toward environmental protection and green development. At the states level, some environmental regulations have been upheld to comply BRI projects with national and international environmental standards, so as to reduce both short- and long-term environmental impacts, improve infrastructure development and promote economic growth in Africa.

Sill, there’s a long way to go, and this requires more dialogues and concertation between China and African countries. Despite these challenges, BRI projects have the potential to significantly improve infrastructure development and promote economic growth in Africa.

Author: Dr. TALING TENE RODRIGUE, Deputy Director of the Center for Francophones Studies, Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, China.

Blog: www.dr-taling.com

Email: rodriguetaling@outlook.com