Narratives and reality: China’s economic engagements in Africa

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan sits down
with Alicia García-Herrero and Eric Olander to explore China’s
economic engagements in Africa, both in the historical and the
modern-day context. They also discuss the criticisms China faces
from African countries and the West when it comes to foreign
direct investment, trade, opacity and more. While Olander claims
that China brings a forward-looking vision to Africa, Garcia
Herrero argues that the reality is sometimes different from the
narratives.

This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound
of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel,
bringing you monthly analysis of China in the world, as seen from
Europe. Sign up now to receive it in your mailbox!

Relevant resource:
China economic database, Bruegel dataset compiled by Alessia
Amighini, Alicia García-Herrero, Michal Krystyanczuk, Robin
Schindowski and Jianwei Xu, Updated monthly