African governments’ debt to China has been on the increase, raising concern of exploitation and even allegations of the East setting a debt trap for the continent which is desperate to fund its infrastructure. But China-Africa experts warn that it is not just the Asian giant at play in this complex situation because although Africa’s debt has been increasing rapidly, and China has become an important lender on the continent, it is by far not the only one. “For those who are generally sceptical of China and its motives, there is a concern of dependency. However, this concern does not seem to be a priority of most African leaders, who tend to embrace Chinese assistance,” said Dr Ross Anthony, director of the Centre for Chinese Studies at the University of Stellenbosch. “Regarding exploitation and allegations of a debt trap, it is important to ascribe agency to host states. They agree to the loans and choose what projects need to be funded. Often in the media, the narrative puts 100% of the agency on China, as if the African states have absolutely no say in the agreements. This is clearly false. On the other hand, African states are desperate for infrastructure, and in recent years, western lenders have been unable to match Chinese investments although the US has recently announced a $60-billion package for developing world projects.” Ultimately, said Anthony, African states were not being forced to choose China as a development partner. “Only time will tell if, and how, dependency may play out. One way in which Chinese influence may play out is not through debt traps, or dependency, but through the fact that China will come to be seen as a reliable infrastructure partner that does not impose political reforms. Over time, this may be more powerful in terms of aligning countries with China, than the debt trap approach could achieve. What China wants from this relationship is an open question,” he told FTW. According to Anthony the Africa-China debt trap narrative is something that has emerged quite recently. “It is very much driven by the Euro-American sphere. There are some instances which inform this opinion, but analyses should be applied on a case by case basis. At present, debt to western donors and international financial institutions is still larger than debts from China,” he said. “The other issue is: why would China want to create a debt trap? From a financial viewpoint, this does not make sense. From a geopolitical viewpoint, it might make sense. However, a major problem with this is that host states – particularly democracies – may turn on China if this is the case. Countries such as Zambia, in which domestic politics have harnessed anti-China sentiment, is one example of this. One of China’s main drives in recent years has been its Soft Power initiative in Africa. Debt Trap diplomacy would threaten this painstaking process.”
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African states are not being forced to choose China as a development partner – Dr Ross Anthony
