China’s Investments in Africa discussion
Business Finance
I need a 25 page paper based on my research proposal. I have included my research proposal w/ bibliography.
Notes: From what I’m reading, China has begun revising its Belt and Road Initiative (also known as “One Belt, One Road”) in the past 3-6 months. This is primarily in response to charges of encouraging corruption and increasing debt loads in several recipient countries. Sri Lanka in south Asia and Ecuador in Latin America have been covered in longer articles in the New York Times in the past six months. I will leave to you any success stories or scandals for the Chinese in Africa. Check more recent publications (not peer reviewed) in Business Sources Complete for other supportive articles connected to what China is doing or has done recently in Africa.
There are suggestion saying Africa is where the best emerging market opportunities are these days globally. (On the other hand, the latest issue of the Economist has a lead article on “slowbalisation” which suggests that (1) globalization is slowing and that (2) both Latin America and Africa lack a regional center in any industry for where globalization seems to be shifting its focus, from either purely national plays or totally global plays in production and supply chain management, for instance. The Economist article was much more positive on emerging market opportunities in east, southeast and south Asia).
So from what I’m reading, China is shifting its focus in foreign direct investment (FDI) and perhaps in terms of what it is funding, where, and how. This may affect its moves in Africa.
One of the Financial Times articles I’ve sent the links to you suggests that Africa is just one more playing field for the US and Chinese tech companies to pursue their ownbusiness (primarily market?) expansions. So you might consider discussing HOW Chinese marketing, production and FDI is changing recently versus previous efforts in Africa. Then you can do the breakdown by country.
One limitation in how you propose doing this paper is that the data you turn up on how China is investing in Africa will reflect the OLD Belt and Road strategies. As I mentioned, the current media seems to indicating that China is changing up their strategies, just in the last three months, based on critiques of their earlier efforts. So, one modest suggestion I might make is to make your thesis for the paper about HOW, WHERE and/or WHY China is changing up their efforts in Africa today versus, say, the last five years.
A similar approach might be taken on which industries in Africa are being affected. The tech industries are players there, as are telecom, natural resources and agriculture, not to mention construction and infrastructure. Feel free to focus in just one or two industries, if that makes sense. Alternately, do a big picture study to see what China is doing overall, that is, in all industries in Africa.
