China in Africa: an overview of the issues at stake

Sino-African relations have developed in a tremendous way over the last decade. While the pace at which China has penetrated Africa pleads in favor of an innovative and successful model of cooperation, the impacts of its presence in Africa are not so clear-cut. Being an integral part of its long-term “Peaceful Rise” strategy, Africa has become for China a place equally filled with opportunities and pitfalls. African states, for their part, may not gain as much as they lose from their cooperation with China. This paper aims to shed light on the extensive and various issues at stake in this complex, multilayered and heterogeneous “Chinese safari” where political, economic and strategic considerations intertwine.