Chinese Migrants and Africa's Development: New Imperialists or Agents of Change?

For some China's growing involvement in Africa promises an end to Africa's dependent aid relationships as the Chinese bring expertise, technology and a stronger business focus, but for others it is no more than a new form of imperialism. Most debate focuses on grand aid and investment projects, but what of the thousands of Chinese migrants who set up businesses across Africa? This book is the first to systematically study the impacts of this migration. It focuses not just on the Chinese migrants but also on the perceptions of, and linkages to, their African 'hosts'. By studying this 'everyday' interaction a much richer picture emerges of whether this is 'South-South' cooperation, or a more complex relationship that can both compromise and encourage African development. It also queries the Eurocentric bias of development theory which overwhelmingly assumes meaningful concepts and hegemony reside in the west.