Afrobarometer Results Reflect China’s Growing Influence on the Continent

According to an October 24 survey conducted by Afrobarometer, African citizens across the continent hold overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward increasing Chinese influence. The pan-African research network asked African citizens in 36 countries from varying classes, genders, and educational backgrounds about their perspectives on China’s financial influences within their respective countries. The results of the survey contradict growing concerns regarding the superpower’s growing interests and partnerships in the continent.

While the United States maintains its influence as the most popular model for national development on the continent, more Africans are looking to China’s national growth policies as an example for economic growth and prosperity. Thirty percent of respondents cited the United States as the best development model for their country, with a close 24 percent citing China as the best example. Results depended heavily on current events, regional leadership, and longstanding ties with global powers – 67 percent of Liberians, for example, viewed the U.S. as the best model, while less than 2 percent of Egyptians cited the U.S. as an ideal example. Lesotho, a southern African landlocked country, held South Africa as the most highly regarded development model, while old colonial powers, particularly France, also maintained significant influence in former colonies.

The survey’s results echo findings from a 2015 Pew Attitudes survey, where 70 percent of African respondents held favorable views of China. These surveys challenge stereotypes of anti-Chinese sentiments in African countries, as well as growing global concerns of increased China-Africa ties. The Chinese government has faced criticism from American and African actors for increasing the nation’s involvement in African affairs. In a Financial Times op-ed, Lamido Sanusi, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, denounced China’s interactions with the continent as “a new form of imperialism.” He called the nation a “significant contributor to Africa’s deindustrialization and underdevelopment.” Indeed, China has invested in countries with issues regarding democracy, governance, and human rights–the most prominent example being the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, China’s increased trade with Africa has boosted the continent’s overall growth rate and has primarily focused on projects outside natural resource sectors.

As African countries continue to work towards increased development and economic partnerships, relationships with China will allow governments to pursue diverse forms of aid and financial backing. American companies, as the most favored trade partner on the continent, must reexamine current strategies to remain economically competitive in the region.