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Chinese Migrants in Africa as New Agents of Development? An Analytical Framework

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The Power of the Chinese Dragon

Part of the book series: Palgrave Readers in Economics ((PRE))

Abstract

Migration from China to Africa has intensified of late on the back of initiatives by the Chinese government. Despite being a significant issue, there has been no systematic attempt to assess the economic, social and political impacts of it. This paper begins by setting out broad analytical dimensions covering the motivations to migrate and wider processes of development. The paper then assesses available data on migration trends, which are marked by speculation. Two further sections cover the policies of China towards internationalisation and Africa and the economic and sociopolitical dimensions, respectively. Economically, many large-scale Chinese firms operate in key resource sectors, but for most Africans, the Chinese presence is marked by traders in the markets. Socially, the Chinese have been welcomed in Africa although integration has been limited. However, tensions have arisen in some countries and have been exploited by African politicians.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Development Policy and Practice Group, The Open University, UK

    Giles Mohan

  2. Geography Department, Durham University, UK

    May Tan-Mullins

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  1. Giles Mohan
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  2. May Tan-Mullins
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Guelph, Canada

    Spencer Henson

  2. The Australian National University, Australia

    O. Fiona Yap

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© 2016 European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes

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Mohan, G., Tan-Mullins, M. (2016). Chinese Migrants in Africa as New Agents of Development? An Analytical Framework. In: Henson, S., Yap, O.F. (eds) The Power of the Chinese Dragon. Palgrave Readers in Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-57449-7_8

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