China leads the world when it comes to investment and influence on the African continent. The extent of Chinese investment in Africa is well known and much has been written about China’s foray into Africa. However, most of the available material has approached this issue by looking at China as the ’New Colonialist’ – more interested in Africa’s vast natural resources than working in partnership for sustained development. Whilst China’s interest in Africa’s resources is evident, it is just half of the story. China’s foray into Africa goes beyond its appetite for natural resources and into the realm of geo-politics and international political economics. For example, China is all too aware of how it can cultivate Africa’s support on global issues at the United Nations and at other international fora. Breaking free from the binary arguments and analysis which characterize this topic, Professor Abdulai presents a refreshing perspective that China’s foray into Africa can produce win–win outcomes for China and Africa – if Africans really know what they want from China. Hitherto, each African country has tended to engage China with an individual bucket list; acting in isolation and not as part of a wider continent (indeed Africa and the African Union does not yet have a coordinated policy towards China). For Africa to be able to do that it needs to know where China is coming from, the factors that contributed to its awakening and success, and the benefits and possible pitfalls of this foray, in order to better position itself for a win–win engagement with China. This book will be a valuable read for policy makers, think-tanks and students of Africa-China studies programmes alike.

This book attempts to illustrate the whole picture of international investment rule of law between China and African countries and find the way forward through combining theory and practice. It is a book by a Chinese professor based on her long-term research experience in the international investment law field and her African field work in person. Its main feature is its well-balanced thinking on the structure of investment international rule of law. It should be the most comprehensive research on the international investment rule of law between China and African countries. With the increase of Chinese investment in Africa, various discussions and viewpoints on Chinese investment in Africa have become striking. The purpose of this book is to explore systematically the protection and sustainability of Chinese investment under the concept and framework of the international investment rule of law, so as to serve the sustainable development of Africa and China. For the purpose of this book, great importance is attached to the idea of the international rule of law, and the international investment law with the function of rule of law is adhered to. The conclusion of this book is that China should take proactive steps to protect Chinese investment in Africa and regulate Chinese overseas investors and their investments in addition to complying with the laws in the host states and thus make them conductive to African and Chinese sustainable development; however, the most significant issue is that China-Africa investment relations should be regulated by the evolving and specific international investment rule of law, and the China-Africa international investment rule of law should conform to normative in form, support common sustainable development in value, and reflect the social reality of China and Africa. For both researchers and students, it is an approach to understand international investment rule of law from a perspective of China and Africa. For those who are interested in China and Africa, it is a useful reference book.

The book provides a study of the investment environment for international enterprises in China and overseas investment by Chinese enterprises. Applying statistical methods and up-to-date data analysis, it examines every aspect of the investment environment in China. The author’s ideas are further illustrated with 39 figures and diagrams. Its 18 chapters discuss topics ranging from history, the current situation and problems of foreign investment in China, to China’s policies for attracting foreign investment, the top 500 global companies in China, urban competitive analysis and multinational corporations in Beijing. It also analyzes Chinese investment in foreign countries. It is a valuable investment guide, and is also a useful reference resource for academic research and teaching related to international business and the Chinese economy.

The core argument of this book is that China poses both challenges and creates opportunities for Africa, and that the transformative potentials of China-Africa engagements can be compared to Africa’s experiences with European colonialism. However, it would be patently misleading to claim any equivalence between African experiences of European colonialism with Africa’s engagements with China. Although, China does not replicate the exact colonial model, its actions have all elements of dependent relations, thus underpinning neo-colonialism with Chinese characteristics. Analysing China’s growing economic relations with Africa, this book posits that, Africa’s underdevelopment situation with China does not indicate a significant point of departure from the colonial model of development because China’s actions in Africa, although not exactly colonial, have all possibilities of Neocolonialist model with Chinese characteristics. As such the author argues that China’s increasing trade, FDI inflow and influence on the economic growth and development in Africa will result in a long-term negative impact in development outcomes and capacity building, governance practice, democratic transition and human rights for future self-reliance and sustainable development.

This paper uses Ghana as a case study to illustrate the extent to which Chinese manufacturing firms are driving manufacturing in an African country. Through a combination of desktop and field research, the author finds that the total number of Chinese manufacturing investments in Ghana indeed increased during past decade, but quite a few projects have been abandoned or not implemented because of the unfavorable investment environment. Small and large manufacturing projects can be found in different sectors, such as plastics, steel, pharmaceuticals, and others. All of the manufacturing investments target local or regional markets, either taking advantage of local raw materials or seeing opportunities in a market with little competition. Transitioning from trading to manufacturing investment and clustering are identified as the main patterns by which Chinese investors establish themselves in Ghana. Chinese firms source simple raw materials from local suppliers but import industrial supplies from abroad. Learning from Chinese business models, a few local businessmen have started their own manufacturing projects, mostly in the plastics recycling sector, but a lack of capital appears to keep some local players from moving up the value chain. Ghana’s weak economy itself is limiting technology transfer and local linkages between Chinese firms and Ghanaians.

China has gone from being a marginal to a leading power in Africa in just over two decades. Its striking ascendancy in the continent is commonly thought to have been primarily driven by economic interests, especially resources like oil. This book argues instead that politics defines the ‘new era’ of China–Africa relations, and examines the importance of politics across a range of areas, from foreign policy to debt, development and the Xi Jinping incarnation of the China model. Going beyond superficial depictions of China’s engagement as predatory or benign, this book explores how Africa is – and isn’t – integral to China’s global ambitions, from the Belt and Road Initiative to strategic competition with the United States. It demonstrates how African actors constrain, shape and use China’s engagement for their own purposes. As China seeks to protect its more established interests and Chinese citizens, it also shows how security has become a particularly notable new area of engagement. This innovative book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to contemporary China–Africa relations. It will be essential reading for students and scholars working on global politics, development and international relations.

This book explores the various issues that characterise the African mining sector, drawing examples from different African countries and regional organisations. Although there is a massive literature on the subject, some issues have been neglected, including the crucial role of digitalisation and technological advancement in resolving the environmental and social challenges faced in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), deep-sea mining, mining contract negotiations and modernising mining laws to reflect the increasing role of critical minerals, to mention but a few. Therefore, the book unpacks the critical issues associated with the mining sector, explicitly reflecting on the practical solutions needed to address the challenges in the African mining sector. This book uniquely analyses and adds flavour to international mining’s fundamental concepts by describing a simulated annealing-based approach appropriate for complex mining projects in Africa. Book contributors comprise of academics from different universities including professors, practitioners, government policymakers, NGO executives and a variety of different experts. This multidisciplinary book will be of interest to African policymakers, governments, academics, industry professionals, energy and mining institutions, international organisations, universities across the globe and companies.

Chinese Research Perspectives on the Environment (formerly The China Environment Yearbook), Volume 1, was written and produced by China’s first environmental non-profit organization, Friends of Nature. This edition of the book combines two years of reports on China's environment from the view of civil society. With a special focus on natural and unnatural disasters, the book also covers the themes of pollution and ecological protection, urban environmental issues and livability, sustainable consumption, policy and governance, civil society and public participation, and China and the world in an environmental perspective. In this volume, readers are brought up to date on the main environmental issues and events of 2010 and 2011. Beginning in 2010, debris flows, landslides, and droughts brought about considerable debate on the human factors involved in “natural disasters” and on China’s urban growth mode. The concept of urban livability is discussed within the backdrop of the waste and water crises. Several environmental incidents, including the Bohai Bay oil spill and the chromium slag pollution incident in Qujing, are also explored within the book. Meanwhile, increased public participation and environmental information transparency give reason for hope. Other articles include research and analysis on China’s investments in Africa, its struggling environmental courts, public interest litigation, the controversial Xiaonanhai dam and others on the Mekong River, green supply chains, and the PM2.5 debate.

China's rise to global power status in recent decades has been accompanied by deepening economic relationships with Africa, with the New Silk Road's extension to Sub-Saharan Africa as the latest step, leading to much academic debate about the influence of Chinese business in the continent. However, China's engagement with African states at the political and diplomatic level has received less attention in the literature. This book investigates the impact of Chinese policies on African politics, asking how China deals with political instability in Africa and in turn how Africans perceive China to be helping or hindering political stability. While China officially operates with a foreign policy strategy which conceives of Africa as one integrated monolithic area (with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) the flagship of inter-continental cooperation), this book highlights the plurality of context-specific interaction patterns between China and African elites, demonstrating how China's role and relevance has differently evolved according to whether African countries are resource-rich and geostrategically important from the Chinese perspective or not. By looking comparatively at a range of different country cases, the book aims to promote a more thorough understanding of how China reacts to political stability and instability, and in which ways the country contributes to domestic political dynamics and stability within African states. China’s New Role in African Politics will be of interest to researchers from across Political Science, International Relations, International Law and Economy, Security Studies, and African and Chinese Studies.