In recent years, China has become a highly visible and talked about actor in Africa’s financial landscape. As the economic and political dimensions of China-Africa relations continue to grow and shift, how has Chinese lending to African nations changed over time? What was the state of Chinese lending to Africa prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and how is lending likely to shift in the post-pandemic era?
Read our new Briefing Paper, “Twenty Years of Data on China’s Africa Lending“, and watch SAIS-CARI’s and the Boston University Global Development Policy Center’s joint webinar discussion held on Tuesday, March 30, launching of the updated Chinese Loans to Africa Database, with new 2019 data.
To begin, Deborah Brautigam, Director of SAIS-CARI, gave welcome remarks and an introduction to the Chinese Loans to Africa Database. She announced that the Chinese Loans to Africa Database will now be managed by Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center. Kevin Gallagher, Director of the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, provided brief remarks, followed by the presentation of the 2019 data update and demonstration of the database by Kevin Acker, Research Manager at SAIS-CARI. Brautigam and Acker gave a short presentation of the policy implications, followed by responses from Grieve Chelwa, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute on Race and Political Economy, the New School, and Yan Wang, Senior Academic Researcher, Global Development Policy Center, Boston University. Gallagher then moderated a Q&A session with the audience.
Panelists:
Deborah BRAUTIGAM, Director, China-Africa Research Initiative
Kevin GALLAGHER, Professor of Global Development Policy; Director, Global Development Policy Center, Boston University
Kevin ACKER, Research Manager, China-Africa Research Initiative
Grieve CHELWA, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute on Race and Political Economy, the New School
Yan WANG, Senior Academic Researcher, Global Development Policy Center, Boston University