The Chinese Economic Footprint in Africa

This article assesses the economic and financial footprint of China in Africa. Bilateral trade relations have been a win-win relations for oil and mining African producers which have benefitted from the rise in prices and the diversification of their markets; in the years to come, other countries may benefit from Chinese demand. As investors, Chinese focus on mining and oil and their venture into manufacturing is still limited. Chinese firms are well established on the African construction market where they benefit from Chinese credit backing. In less than ten years, China rose to be the largest financier of Africa however its financial footprint remains “offshore” as its credit do not transit by African banks. One assist at the increasing use of the Yuan in bilateral transaction. In its conclusion, the article designs a synthetic indicator of Chinese economic foot print which is related to African economic growth.