What is the Real Story of China in Africa?
Speaker(s): Brautigam, D. (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS))
Date: 8 September 2021
Speaker Session Summary
SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Deborah Bräutigam (Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy & Director of the SAIS China Africa Research Initiative (CARI), Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)) as part of its SMA AFRICOM/INDOPACOM Speaker Session.
Dr. Bräutigam stated that examining evidence-based analysis of China’s investments into Africa shows China’s economic motives and activities more clearly than media headlines that accuse China of creating debt traps. China’s model for economic deals in Africa are based on economic deals China received from Japan during its own development and modernization, which occurred in the late 1970s. This deal revolved around money for infrastructure in exchange for access to natural resources. To further its economic goals in the region, China has sent political representatives to many African countries. This increased political and economic interaction between China and Africa has resulted in concern by the US that China will steal the region’s resources. Some Africans also share this concern among others, which include poor working conditions and ruining Africa’s natural resources.
However, China is still viewed positively by most of Africa’s populations. For most Africans, China is actually considered as the second-best model for economic development—behind the US. China has focused its investments in the region’s transportation and infrastructure, which has allowed them to also curry political favor with heads of state. Dr. Bräutigam argued that the common perception of China developing debt traps is a false representation of China’s political actions and motives. Instead, she cited several instances of African countries going to their Chinese lenders and easily restructuring loans or receiving loan extensions.
Note: We are aware that many government IT providers have blocked access to YouTube from government machines during the pandemic in response to bandwidth limitations. We recommend viewing the recording on YouTube from a non-government computer or listening to the audio file (below), if you are in this position.
Dr. Deborah Bräutigam Biography
Dr. Deborah Bräutigam is the Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of PoliticalEconomy and Director of the China Africa Research Initiative at JohnsHopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies(SAIS).
Her most recent books include The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa (OUP, 2010) and Will Africa Feed China? (OUP, 2015).Before joining SAIS in 2012, she taught at Columbia University and American University. Dr. Bräutigam’s teaching and research focus on international development strategies, governance, and foreign aid.
She has twice won the Fulbright research award and is a recipient of fellowships from the Council on Foreign Relations, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and research grants from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Centre for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR).
She has served as a consultant for Transparency International, the United Nations, the World Bank, DFID, GIZ, DANIDA, the African Development Bank, and USAID, and has provided commentary to the Financial Times, the New York Times, the Guardian, CNN, NPR, Al-Jazeera, VOA, CCTV, and MSNBC. Dr. Bräutigam has been a visiting scholar at the World Bank, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and advised more than a dozen governments on China-Africa relations. Her PhD is from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.
Site-wide Search
Search all site content, including all NSI and SMA publications, SMA Speaker series, NSI Team member bios, services, portfolio projects, company info, and more.
