2022 Year in Review

“China in Africa” has been a highly contentious debate in Western policy circles
over the past years. But Beijing has long played a leading role on the continent,
stretching back decades and into the complex web of Cold War geopolitics. While
much of the focus has been on China’s investment in infrastructure, so-called
“debt trap diplomacy”, and political interference, there has been less attention
on China’s soft power and influence on Africa’s media landscape.
COLD WAR POLITICS
From the pivotal 1955 Bandung Conference onward, China has shown its
willingness to engage with Africa when other nations have not.
Its early involvement on the continent took a two-pronged approach. The first
sought to limit the recognition of the Republic of China on Taiwan as the
legitimate representative of China internationally, and the second was to counter
both Western and Soviet influence in Africa.
In the 1960s, China built the TAZARA Railway, connecting newly independent and
landlocked Zambia to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The railway
provided a much needed connection for Zambia to take part in international
trade while providing China with a boost in its image and influence in Africa.
From the perspective of developing nations and those emerging from
colonialism, China was seen as a partner when the West was disinterested and
disengaged.
China’s interest in Africa increased further following Beijing’s brutal crackdown in
the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989, which abruptly ended its honeymoon
relationship with the West and the Western panglossian hope of China’s
eventual democratisation. Isolated, Beijing re-doubled its engagement on the
continent and found support from African nations in international organisations
and multilateral forums.
CHINA IN AFRICA'S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
P A G E 1 6 3
This engagement has carried on into the 21st century, with China pouring
billions into developing Africa’s resources industry, public infrastructure, and
importantly, its digital sphere.