The Africa–China engagement: Contemporary developments and directions for future research

Abstract

The Africa-China engagement continues to attract attention from scholars and the media, and is increasingly characterized by controversy and conjecture. This special issue sought to reexamine the engagement against this backdrop, to provide a forum where some important aspects of this engagement might be debated with reference to contemporary research, and to identify some possible avenues for further research. This introductory article thus seeks to reframe the debate with a view to interrogating conventional wisdom and to identify possible new directions for further research. It also provides a short summary of the two papers that follow.

International business and Africa: Theoretical and applied challenges, and future directions

“…Important questions remain about the viability of cross-cultural engagements, the role of foreign firms in Africa, transfer of knowledge and technology, and how these shape managerial thinking and practice and reflect diverse national social-political realities. Yet, the claimed resonances between Chinese guanxi (networking) and African ubuntu (e.g., Chi, 2019 ) would suggest potential areas of convergence and promising avenues of further research that challenges conventional wisdom and goes beyond the rhetoric (Kamoche, Gunessee & Kufour, 2021 ). Thus, going beyond the accommodation of expatriate and MNC managers is the broader question of situated, contextual knowledge, indigenous practices, and the place of African worldviews in the firm and wider society.…”

Analyzing the Evolution of China-Africa Economic Integration: A Wavelet Approach

“…indicator 3) to analyze how Africa's degree of economic integration with China has progressed in accordance with the bilateral economic arrangements discussed in Section 2. We contend that if the China-Africa bilateral economic treaties increased Africa's degree of economic integration with China, as indicated in the literature (see, e.g., Jian and Xiaoqin, 2015;Jin, 2015;Aiping and Shun, 2018;Regissahui, 2019;Kamoche, Gunessee and Kufuor, 2021), then the integration indicator should reflect a long-run upward trend that is less obstructed by noise.…”

“…According to the mechanical distribution principle (Abesadze, 2017), these integration coefficients are far below 33.3%, implying that the level of integration was very low during the study period, as was African countries' participation in this integration process. Similarly, Jureńczyk (2020, p. 45) it is reasonable to argue that 1) China-Angola economic relations have a significant impact on Africa's degree of economic integration with China; and 2) contrary to what has been emphasized in the literature (see, e.g., Jian and Xiaoqin, 2015;Jin, 2015;Vhumbunu, 2016;Aiping and Shun, 2018;Kamoche, Gunessee and Kufuor, 2021), China's economic engagement with African countries is not balanced across Africa in general and across major Africa's RECs in particular. The engagement seems to be strategically targeted to a few African countries.…”

“…The most prolific trade partnership, namely China's One Belt One Road Initiative, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was launched in 2014 to develop Africa's hard infrastructure, allowing Africa to connect with Asia (particularly China) and Europe, ease trade, and reduce trade costs (Jian and Xiaoqin, 2015;Vhumbunu, 2016;Machado, 2021) Thus far, China-Africa economic cooperation appears to be unbalanced and overstated. Therefore, conducting an empirical study to ascertain the level of Africa's participation in this economic cooperation, as suggested by Kamoche, Gunessee, and Kufuor (2021), and analyzing the periodic progress of this economic integration are meaningful. Addressing these questions will allow for relevant policy recommendations on whether or not the continent is reaping the expected benefits of its economic integration with China.…”

“…As a result, to capitalize on the opportunities that come with international economic integration, the continent must improve its participation in trade, investment, loans, and other financing arrangements with China. Recently, Kamoche, Gunessee, and Kufuor (2021) emphasized that the China-Africa economic integration still needs to be scrutinized to inform relevant policies regarding Africa's participation in this engagement. This justifies the necessity to estimate the degree of economic integration between China and Africa.…”