Forum on China-Africa Cooperation

The China-Africa relationship is one of the most important and consequential in the world today. But the discourse on China and its role in Africa tends to alienate, de-centre even ignore voices at the centre of this complex, yet multi-faceted bilateral relationship.

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The voices which are often mainstreamed on China-Africa issues often lack the nuance needed to appreciate the complexities and peculiarities of how China and the Global South relate.

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As a result, the discourse on China in Africa, and Africa in China tends to be presented or characterized in simplistic, jingoistic narratives such as ‘debt-trap diplomacy’ but also erroneously portrayed as great power rivalry where powerful countries flex for control and influence. It Is framed only in economic terms and as a small-against-big scenario.