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The Unequal Modalities of China’s Intervention in Africa

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Abstract

Since 1955, the Sino-African relationship has gone through countless steps that have caused this global relationship to evolve: from the spirit of Bandung (1955 and 1963) to a mercantile approach (1976 and 1982), and finally to a financial path since 1994, 2003 and finally 2013. These key dates in the Sino-African relationship highlight the Chinese and African chronologies, but also the breaks. In this context, the last period corresponds to the arrival in power of Xi Jinping and the launch of the New Silk Roads. Through a double statistical and analytical analysis, this chapter attempts to deconstruct this relationship officially presented as “win–win.” In reality, the modalities of Chinese intervention in Africa are highly concentrated, limited to a few partners, and generate (new) inequalities and extraversions. Ultimately, the New Silk Roads are the instrument of a paradigm shift in China’s African policy. For the many Chinese actors interested in the continent, the specialization of the rent has only just begun.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    NSR’s acronym expresses the New Silk Roads instead of the official Chinese formulas (OBOR, BRI).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catholic University of Lille, Lille, France

    Xavier Aurégan

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  1. Xavier Aurégan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade do Minho & Universidade Lusófona, Braga & Porto, Portugal

    Paulo Afonso B. Duarte

  2. University of Macau, Macau SAR, China

    Francisco José B. S. Leandro

  3. Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines

    Enrique Martínez Galán

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Aurégan, X. (2023). The Unequal Modalities of China’s Intervention in Africa. In: Duarte, P.A.B., Leandro, F.J.B.S., Galán, E.M. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Globalization with Chinese Characteristics. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6700-9_44

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