External publications

Chinese investors in Zambia and Angola: motives, profile, strategies

Li, Hangwei
External Publications (2023)

in: Dominik Kopiński / Pádraig Carmody / Ian Taylor (eds.), The Political Economy of Chinese FDI and Spillover Effects in Africa, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 193-216

ISBN: 978-3-031-38714-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38715-9_8
Information

This chapter offers a comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa, with a specific focus on the motives, profiles and strategies of Chinese investors in Zambia and Angola. Drawing on fieldwork and extensive interviews conducted with relevant stakeholders and 50 Chinese companies in Zambia and Angola in 2019, the chapter sheds light on the considerable heterogeneity that exists amongst firms operating in Africa. The chapter goes beyond a surface-level examination by exploring the diverse motivations, including both push and pull factors that drive Chinese investment in these two Southern African countries. By challenging prevailing misconceptions and offering nuanced insights, this chapter contributes to our understanding of the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of Chinese investors in Zambia and Angola. Moreover, it argues that African agency should be also viewed through the lens of policy implementation and the ability to drive fundamental structural change.