How to keep up with China’s engagement in Africa

China’s meteoric rise in Africa has raised a drumbeat of alarm and curiosity from across the world. Over the past two decades, there have been emerging trends and data, new policy shifts, questions about what African countries should do, and if China and the West can compete—or cooperate—in Africa. Below are some of the books, people, and institutions that can give you an in-depth insight into how China is changing Africa as much as Africa is changing China.

Quartz

We regularly publish stories about China’s growing role in Africa.

• Latest coverage of China’s influence in Africa and the world
• Older coverage of Quartz’s China in Africa obsession

Books (2009-2019)

• The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa by Deborah Brautigam
• China and Africa: A Century of Engagement by David H. Shinn and Joshua Eisenman
• China in Africa: Articulating China’s Africa Policy by Jean Kachiga
• China’s Second Continent: How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa by Howard W. French
• Will Africa Feed China? by Deborah Brautigam
• The New Kings of Crude: China, India, and the Global Struggle for Oil in Sudan and South Sudan by Luke Patey
• Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China’s Push for Global Power by Howard W. French
• The Next Factory of the World: How Chinese Investment Is Reshaping Africa by Irene Yuan Sun
• African Countries and the Global Scramble for China: A Contribution to Africa’s Preparedness and Rehearsal by Ngonlardje Kabra Mbaidjol
• Belt and Road: A Chinese World Order by Bruno Maçães
• China, Africa and the Re-shaping of Information Society: New Media, New Politics by Iginio Gagliardone

Podcast

• The China in Africa Podcast: The weekly podcast by Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden dissects the latest in Sino-Africa relations.

People

• Anzetse Were: Development economist analyzing Sino-African relations
• Bill Bishop: Writes the Sinocism China newsletter
• Cheng Cheng: Chief economist at Made in Africa Initiative
• Gyude Moore: Visiting fellow at the Center for Global Development and former minister of public works in Liberia
• Hannah Ryder: Chief executive of consultancy Development Reimagined & China representative at the China Africa Advisory.
• Hodan Osman: Lecturer and research fellow at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University
• Jeffrey Ding: Lead China researcher at the Center for the Governance of Artificial Intelligence at Oxford University and writes about China’s AI scene
• Obert Hodzi: Co-editor of Democracy in Africa site and author of The End of China’s Non-Intervention Policy in Africa
• Yunnan Chen: Researching China-Africa at John Hopkins University

Institutions

• China Africa Research Initiative: The center at John Hopkins University provides a great source for data into Chinese loans and workers, insights about partnerships, and analysis on issues like debt-trap diplomacy:
• Center for Strategic and International Studies: provides analyses of the implications of China’s engagement in Africa for the United States and Africa.
• American Enterprise Institute China Global Investment Tracker: captures data on China’s global investment and construction projects since 2005.
• SOAS China Institute: Home to the largest community of Chinese studies scholars in Europe, the institute has produced reports including Chinese firms and employment dynamics in Africa. 
• The Wits Africa-China Reporting Project: hosted at the journalism department of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, the project aims to improve the quality of reporting on China-Africa issues
• China Economic Review: which captures China’s growing economic influence worldwide since 1990.
• Brookings Institution: Regularly puts out briefings and analyses about China’s growing presence in Africa and what this means for the continent.