Part of the Disease Or Part of the Cure? Chinese Investments in the Zambian Mining and Construction Sectors

Peter Kragelund
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Peter Kragelund: Department of Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University, Denmark

The European Journal of Development Research, 2009, vol. 21, issue 4, 644-661

Abstract: China's role in African development is much debated among academics as well as among private sector organisations, trade unions and politicians. Notwithstanding the recent upsurge of interest, the lion's share of the current studies on ‘China in Africa’ is still based on a combination of aggregate figures and sporadic information from news agencies. Although much of the hysteria surrounding the ‘China in Africa’ debate has now evaporated – at least from the scholarly debate – the local debate is highly politicised and of a very dichotomous nature: China is either seen as benign or malign to African development efforts. This paper seeks to go beyond this dichotomous view by examining the multifaceted nature of Chinese investments in two sectors of the Zambian economy. It argues that these investments to a large extent resemble other foreign investments but the sheer size and growth of the investments trigger local reactions.Le rôle de la Chine dans le développement en Afrique fait objet d’un débat ardent, non seulement aux Etats Unis et en Europe mais également prend de l’ampleur en Afrique. Ce débat ne se limite pas aux écrits universitaires mais concerne aussi des organisations du secteur privé, des syndicats et des hommes politiques. En dépit de cet intérêt croissant, la plupart des études actuelles sur ‘la Chine en Afrique’ sont encore basées sur de statistiques agrégées et d’informations sporadiques en provenance des agences de presse. De plus, le débat est dichotomique: les activités de la Chine sont perçues comme ayant des effets soit positives, soit négatifs sur les pays africains. Cet article cherche à dépasser cette vision en examinant les multiples aspects des investissements chinois dans deux secteurs de l’économie zambienne. Il cherche ainsi à contribuer à notre compréhension des conséquences domestiques de la présence de plus en plus importante de la Chine en Afrique.European Journal of Development Research (2009) 21, 644–661. doi:10.1057/ejdr.2009.23

Date: 2009
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