What drives Chinese technology imports into Africa? A regional perspective

Abstract

Motives: The factors that affect technology imports from China have never been examined in the literature, and this study was undertaken to fill in this knowledge gap. The factors that drive high-tech imports from China to Africa, including those that negatively impact imports, were identified. The results can be used to implement changes in the trade strategies of African countries, including industry 4.0 strategies or trade agreements with China, and to influence the behavior of companies importing high-tech from China.Aim: The primary goal is to identify the factors that influence technology transfer, in particular the transfer of electronic and electrical technologies, in the areas of high-tech manufacturing. The second goal is to determine whether these factors have equal strength and direction of influence on different streams of technology transfer.Results: The study demonstrated that both economic and geographical factors influence technology transfer, defined as two streams of high-tech manufactures: electronic and electrical, as well as other high-tech manufactures. However, the two import streams behaved differently, and different factors affected Chinese imports into Africa.