JOHANNESBURG/NAIROBI ¨C China¡¯s flagship economic cooperation program is bouncing back after a lull during the global pandemic, with Africa a primary focus, according to a Reuters analysis of lending, investment and trade data.
Chinese leaders have been citing the billions of dollars committed to new construction projects and record two-way trade as evidence of their commitment to assist with the continent¡¯s modernization and foster ¡°win-win¡± cooperation.
But the data reveals a more complex relationship, one that is still largely extractive and has so far failed to live up to some of Beijing¡¯s rhetoric about the Belt and Road initiative (BRI), President Xi Jinping¡¯s strategy to build an infrastructure network connecting China to the world.
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