Chinese technicians assist their African colleagues during roadworks in Africa.

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The influx of Chinese people into Africa in recent years has somehow made it onto the world’s political agenda. On occasions, the overseas Chinese are even viewed as part of China’s expansion plan. Though globalization encourages the study of immigration and transnationalism, the attention paid to Chinese immigrants is indeed tangled with a sense of unease that developed countries share toward China’s rise.

In modern times, the West has established a stable system of political domination and economic exploitation in Africa by virtue of religion, force and ideological erosion. These Western influences did not disappear as African countries gained independence. Rather, it is safe to say that the exploitation of Africa was one of the reasons for the West’s prosperity.

However, two tendencies are challenging Western dominance in Africa. One is a trend in political thought toward “learning from the East” that has emerged on the African continent since World War II. The other is the example emerging countries have set for African nations, providing an alternative path to development while promoting African economy through cooperation.

Thanks to its unique political system and stunning economic growth, China stands out. China-Africa cooperation is phenomenal in terms of fields, scope, speed and impact, driving overall economic development in Africa.

Thus, the West sees this as an unprecedented threat. In this context, rumors, misinformation, and wrongful interpretations about China-Africa relations start to accumulate. As China and Africa further promote friendly ties, the discussion on the role of Chinese people in Africa has come to the fore along with other “politicized” China topics.

 

‘Empire builders’ rumor
Since the Chinese in Africa were first labeled “new imperialists” in 2005, Western media have been accusing China of human rights violations on the continent. There are numerous reports on China’s neocolonialism or imperialism.

Is it the truth? The precise number of overseas Chinese is uncertain, and the government estimated 60 million in total at the moment. While the number of Chinese in Africa is growing quite fast, the following three issues cannot be ignored.

First, compared to the population of Chinese people in other parts of the world, the number in Africa only accounts for a small portion. If divided on a national basis, the average on the continent stands at roughly 20,000 per country, which is far less than the 1.5 million Chinese in the United States or Canada. 

Second, the number of Chinese immigrants in Africa is incomparable with that of other countries. It is true that overseas Chinese in total surpass Indian immigrants, but that is not the case in Africa, where approximately 1.6 million Indians live.

Lastly, few Chinese immigrants apply for African citizenship since most of them are employees at construction firms or short-term workers of other fields.

It is evident that the West has exaggerated the number of Chinese people in Africa. Are they adequate to build an empire? The answer is no.

 

Diverse occupations
The Western narratives of Chinese people in Africa contain some prejudice. French scholar Emmanuel Ma Mung Kuang once categorized Chinese immigrants as temporary workers, entrepreneurs and opportunists who take Africa as a springboard for migration to other continents. He insisted that immigration policies are crucial in international relations, and he pointed out the vast number of Chinese in Africa as evidence of growing ties between China and African countries.

In his account, temporary workers are connected to China’s energy policies while entrepreneurs are present because China needs to enlarge its exports. In short, he argued that China has three main objectives in Africa: to obtain natural resources, such as oil and minerals; to expand export markets, and to gain diplomatic support in the various international organizations. Fundamentally, all the efforts are meant to ensure China’s economic growth and political influence.

However, such an assessment is clearly flawed. The Chinese in Africa are engaged in a variety of industries and their occupations vary in different countries. In general, the old generations of Chinese in Africa mainly work in restaurants, grocery stores and small processing industries, whereas new arrivals are seen in retail, catering, trade, tourism, transportation, textiles, manufacturing, pharmaceutical and other businesses. They are temporary workers, business owners, project managers and farmers. The most prominent phenomena is that working-class and agricultural immigrants as well as intellectuals have begun to appear in recent years.

The Chinese in Africa also include some highly educated professionals involved in China’s aid activities, such as medical teams and economic cooperation projects, who have decided to stay after completing their missions. There are also some technicians looking for opportunities after resignation as well as some dedicated religious personnel, especially Buddhists.

 

Cooperation rather than competition
As a matter of fact, Chinese people have had a positive impact on Africa, promoting China-Africa cooperation, South-South cooperation, and globalization. Chinese businessmen not only provide Africa with cheap goods but also present an opportunity for local small businesses. Chinese stores are essential for the consumption of African people. They open up new markets rather than replacing existing ones. 

There are worries among some Africans that Chinese migrants constitute an economic threat to their livelihoods. But according to a report from the Brenthurst Foundation, Chinese stores in South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho and Mozambique have one thing in common—they hire more locals than Chinese employees.

The same can be said in big projects undertaken by Chinese companies. For example, the construction of the 1,344 kilometer Benguela Railway in Angola was completed in August 2014 after nearly 10 years of hard work and joint efforts from about 1,000 Chinese—among which more than 20 died during the construction—and 100,000 Angolan workers.

 

 ‘Grand strategy’ suspicions
There is no doubt that Chinese enterprises and people have made tremendous contributions to the development of Africa.

Despite some misunderstandings toward Chinese immigrants, African people hold a positive view of China. It is confirmed by multiple surveys conducted by Gallup and Pew. In particular, some new immigrants join local welfare activities, to an extent, promoting China-Africa cooperation.

In the meantime, some believe that the Chinese government supports Chinese immigration to Africa as part of a grand strategy. More and more studies show that the accusation is groundless. Yoon Junk Park, a senior researcher in the Center for Sociological Research at the University of Johannesburg, criticized the misguided views in her book A Matter of Honour: Being Chinese in South Africa and argued that most Chinese immigrants arrive in Africa independently, with various social backgrounds, multiple points of origin and different educational levels, but sharing a goal—improving their living standards.

Again, the Brenthurst report demonstrated how the Chinese presence in Africa is diverse, complex and by no means a well-planned strategy on the part of the Chinese government. Quite the contrary, many Chinese interviewees were unhappy with the Chinese embassy, and 95 percent claimed to have received no help from it.

Recently, currency devaluations in some African countries have directly affected the incomes of immigrants, prompting some to move back to China en masse. However, China-Africa economic relations are expected to be further expanded to include trade, investment and multilateral financial cooperation. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in December 2015 has significantly increased investment in building capacity between the two sides. In addition, China-Africa folk and cultural exchanges will also enable Chinese people to engage in various activities in Africa. Plus, most African countries are still willing to attract foreign investment through loose immigration policies. All in all, the number of Chinese in Africa will continue to grow in the future.
 

Li Anshan is a professor and director of the Centre for African Studies at Peking University.