13 research outputs found
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Chinese migrants in Africa: bilateral and informal governance of a poorly understood South-South flow
The paper examines the social and political dynamics of Chinese migrants in Africa. Implicit in much of the literature on âChina in Africaâ is a power relation in which the Chinese hold the whip hand. Moreover analytical attention has focussed overwhelmingly on aggregate âSouth-Southâ flows of trade or FDI, or bilateral projects as opposed to the activities of the myriad independent Chinese entrepreneurs that have migrated to Africa. While we do not want to reverse the structuralist lens to say that Africa/ns have endless options we want to examine how African social and political agency plays into these unfolding relationships. Our argument is that the increased Chinese presence in Africa does not represent some form of harmonious âSouth-Southâ cooperation but Africans are managing the relationship in ways that create significant opportunities for their development. Based on recent fieldwork in Angola, Ghana, and Nigeria, the paper addresses a number of key dimensions around the governance of this migration. Our data show African state institutions, firms and individuals contesting and shaping these engagements in ways that benefit them. Much of the relationship is brokered, and subsequently governed, by pacts between Chinese and African elite state actors. These tend to be relatively unaccountable and non-transparent processes with the Chinese investments bolstering the legitimacy of African regimes. These relationships are presented by the Chinese as âwin-winâ and not interfering in domestic political processes, yet they do intervene and increasingly so in contexts where security of investments and personnel are threatened. This was amply demonstrated in the recent Libyan evacuation though this only covered labour migrants on official contracts and not independent migrants. That said where the quality of Chinese investment is held to account by African states and civil societies we generally see better developmental impacts. Central to much of this are the differences in the national laws and enforcement regimes of the âhostâ societies, around labour, immigration and investment. This holds a potential lesson for managing âChina-Africaâ relations in that a strong legislative base with effective enforcement can deliver development dividends from small scale investments besides the big infrastructure projects heralded in the press. Beyond these more formal inter-state relations we see migration and investment governed in a number of informal ways, notably organisations such as local associations of market traders. It is often these forms of agency that spark the formal governance system into action. Many successful Chinese firms have local patrons who give credibility, contacts and protection. We have evidence of African firms employing Chinese labour, expertise and technology. African entrepreneurs actively encouraging Chinese investment outside of the formal, bilateral arrangements drive some of this. In this sense governance of Chinese-African migration is national and/or informal rather than regional
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Sino-African encounters in Ghana and Nigeria: from conflict to conviviality and mutual benefit
Chinaâs renewed engagement with Africa is often framed as a form of imperialism, with the growing number of Chinese migrants on the continent seen as an exploitative presence. Such claims have generally been based on little evidence, and where more detailed empirical studies have emerged, they tend to emphasise the tensions and conflicts that have arisen. Our research on Chinese migrants in Ghana and Nigeria suggests that while there are concerns about Chinese competition in the informal retail sector and the treatment of local labour in Chinese enterprises, narratives of apparent tension and conflict are often much more nuanced than is generally recognised. Furthermore, more convivial and cooperative relations have also emerged and these have facilitated important opportunities for Africans to benefit from the Chinese presence. However, while the presence of Chinese migrants in African socio-economic life can be more integrated and mutually beneficial than is often assumed, the ability of African actors to benefit from this presence is highly uneven, placing the politics of class at the centre of any understanding of Sino-African encounters
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A transformative presence? Chinese migrants as agents of change in Ghana and Nigeria
Chinaâs rapidly expanding engagement with Africa has been heralded as one of the most important developments in the continentâs post-colonial history, and has been ascribed the potential to radically transform Africaâs economic and political position in the world (Moyo 2009). There are many strands to Chinaâs renewed involvement in Africa and, while most attention has focused on high-level diplomacy, trade and investment, it is increasingly recognised that the growing presence of Chinese migrants on the continent is a key factor in determining how China-Africa relations unfold. As Chris Alden (2007, 128) has argued, âThe behaviour of thousands of newly settled Chinese businessmen and the conduct of the African communities in which they live and work will matter as much as the diplomacy and concessions made at the government level.â Consequently, studies of Chinese migrants in various African countries are emerging and these have begun to deepen our understanding of the nature of this migration and how those involved organise their economic activities and operate transnationally (Haugen and Carling 2005; Ho 2008; Dobler 2009; Huynh et al. 2010; Giese and Thiel 2014). Yet our knowledge of how the Chinese presence is impacting upon African development remains limited.
In attempting to better understand the impact of migration on development, we turn to the relationship between migration and social transformation. This has been conceptualised most coherently by the sociologist and migration scholar Stephen Castles (2009 and 2010) and his work broadens and complexifies the often narrow, normative and over-simplified debates about the developmental role of migration that have re-emerged over the last 15 years. The notion of social transformation therefore offers a more sophisticated framework for exploring the dynamics and effects of migration and reminds us that migration is profoundly embedded in wider processes of social change, being both a driver and an outcome.
Our analysis begins by discussing in more detail the potential and limitations of migration and social transformation approaches. While these approaches offer a more nuanced and contextualised understanding of migration and its effects, their focus has been on South-North migration rather than on South-South flows. Furthermore, we argue that these conceptualisations need to expand to incorporate the agency of local actors with whom migrants interact and the way these relationships and their outcomes are shaped by the politics of class. In developing this argument, we draw on our data to chart some of the social changes and new social relations with which the expanded Chinese presence is involved. We argue that, while many of the social, economic and political effects of the Chinese presence are significant, they are not necessarily transformative in and of themselves. However, we contend that the ways in which these effects are entwined in localised social, economic and political dynamics mean that they have the potential to contribute to broader processes of transformation, although not always in ways deemed positive or progressive. Here, we aim to demonstrate that the impact of Chinese migrants is incorporated into wider processes of social change through the agency of local actors and the politics of class â factors that have been underplayed not only in social transformation perspectives on migration but also in the emerging body of work on resurgent China-Africa relations (Corkin 2013; Mohan and Lampert 2013)
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Making Space for African Agency in China-Africa Engagements: Ghanaian and Nigerian Patrons Shaping Chinese Enterprise
The dominant assumption in much literature on the Chinese presence in Africa is that the monolithic entity âChinaââand the Chinese state in particularâis able to set the terms of engagement with African states and to unilaterally determine events. This is problematic for two linked reasons that we examine in this chapter. First, it privileges unitary states as the key players in these relationships. Second, it underplays the role that African actors, both within and beyond the state, play in brokering and shaping the terms on which these relationships unfold. A ramification of this tendency to attribute all the power to one side is a reactive âanti-Chinaâ response since Africans are assumed to be the helpless victims. Indeed, we have seen some African political actors playing up this negative portrayal of the Chinese, which produces a potentially dangerous xenophobia. While we are not arguing that China is only a beneficial force in Africa, in this chapter we examine how African agency can shape these relationships, many of which lie outside official interstate channels. While African agency in China-Africa relations takes many forms, involves a wide array of actors, and operates at a range of levels, here we argue that the state-society interface is a key arena in which African agency is exercised, particularly by African patrons who utilize their state connections to encourage and support Chinese enterprise. While these actors may be based in or connected to the state, their interest in facilitating Chinese activities often appears to have more to do with their own political and economic interests than wider state agendas. The result is a more mixed and contradictory analysis than one in which coherent state interests intersect and âChinaâ drives the relationship
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Negotiating China: reinserting African agency into China-Africa relations
Most analyses of Chinaâs renewed engagement with Africa treat China as the driving force, and little recognition is given to the role of African agency, especially beyond the level of state elites. This article investigates the extent of African agency in engagements with China and argues that at various levels African actors have negotiated, shaped and even driven Chinese engagements in important ways. Suggesting a theoretical framework that captures agency both within and beyond the state, the article provides an empirical analysis of African agency first by showing how elements of the Angolan state created a hybrid set of institutions to broker Chinese investment projects, and second by discussing how African social actors have influenced and derived benefits from the activities of Chinese migrants in Ghana and Nigeria. While both cases demonstrate African agency, the ability of African actors to exercise such agency is highly uneven, placing African politics at the heart of any understanding of China-Africa relations
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Negotiating China: Reinserting African Agency into China-Africa Relations
Most analyses of China's renewed engagement with Africa treat China as the driving force, and little recognition is given to the role of African agency, especially beyond the level of state elites. This article investigates the extent of African agency in engagements with China and argues that at various levels African actors have negotiated, shaped and even driven Chinese engagements in important ways. Suggesting a theoretical framework that captures agency both within and beyond the state, the article provides an empirical analysis of African agency first by showing how elements of the Angolan state created a hybrid set of institutions to broker Chinese investment projects, and second by discussing how African social actors have influenced and derived benefits from the activities of Chinese migrants in Ghana and Nigeria. While both cases demonstrate African agency, the ability of African actors to exercise such agency is highly uneven, placing African politics at the heart of any understanding of China-Africa relations
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Les migrants chinois, acteurs de changement au Ghana et au Nigeria: une présence transformatrice ?
Le dĂ©veloppement rapide de lâengagement de la Chine en Afrique a Ă©tĂ© saluĂ© comme lâune des avancĂ©es les plus importantes depuis la colonisation, comme un phĂ©nomĂšne capable de transformer radicalement la position Ă©conomique et politique de lâAfrique dans le monde (Moyo, 2009). Ce nouvel engagement de la Chine en Afrique comporte divers aspects et si lâattention sâest surtout portĂ©e sur la diplomatie de haut niveau, le commerce et lâinvestissement, il est dĂ©sormais reconnu que la prĂ©sence de plus en plus nombreuse de migrants chinois sur le continent est un facteur clĂ© dans lâanalyse du dĂ©roulement des relations Chine-Afrique. Chris Alden (2007: 128) a ainsi Ă©crit : « Le comportement des milliers dâhommes dâaffaires chinois nouvellement installĂ©s et celui des communautĂ©s africaines au sein desquelles ils travaillent et vivent comptera autant que la diplomatie et les concessions faites au niveau gouvernemental. » Du coup, des Ă©tudes paraissent sur les migrants chinois dans diffĂ©rents pays dâAfrique, contribuant Ă Ă©lucider la nature de cette migration tout en montrant comment sâorganisent les activitĂ©s Ă©conomiques et comment elles fonctionnent au niveau transnational (Haugen & Carling, 2005 ; Ho, 2008 ; Dobler, 2009 ; Huynh et al., 2010 ; Giese & Thiel, 2012). Pourtant, il est difficile de savoir quelle influence a la prĂ©sence chinoise sur le dĂ©veloppement africain
Sino-African Encounters in Ghana and Nigeria: From Conflict to Conviviality and Mutual Benefit
Chinaâs renewed engagement with Africa is often framed as a form of imperialism, with the growing number of Chinese migrants on the continent seen as an exploitative presence. Such claims have generally been based on little evidence, and where more detailed empirical studies have emerged, they tend to emphasise the tensions and conflicts that have arisen. Our research on Chinese migrants in Ghana and Nigeria suggests that while there are concerns about Chinese competition in the informal retail sector and the treatment of local labour in Chinese enterprises, narratives of apparent tension and conflict are often much more nuanced than is generally recognised. Furthermore, more convivial and cooperative relations have also emerged and these have facilitated important opportunities for Africans to benefit from the Chinese presence. However, while the presence of Chinese migrants in African socio-economic life can be more integrated and mutually beneficial than is often assumed, the ability of African actors to benefit from this presence is highly uneven, placing the politics of class at the centre of any understanding of Sino-African encounters
Sino-African Encounters in Ghana and Nigeria: From Conflict to Conviviality and Mutual Benefit
Chinaâs renewed engagement with Africa is often framed as a form of imperialism, with the growing number of Chinese migrants on the continent seen as an exploitative presence. Such claims have generally been based on little evidence, and where more detailed empirical studies have emerged, they tend to emphasise the tensions and conflicts that have arisen. Our research on Chinese migrants in Ghana and Nigeria suggests that while there are concerns about Chinese competition in the informal retail sector and the treatment of local labour in Chinese enterprises, narratives of apparent tension and conflict are often much more nuanced than is generally recognised. Furthermore, more convivial and cooperative relations have also emerged and these have facilitated important opportunities for Africans to benefit from the Chinese presence. However, while the presence of Chinese migrants in African socio-economic life can be more integrated and mutually beneficial than is often assumed, the ability of African actors to benefit from this presence is highly uneven, placing the politics of class at the centre of any understanding of Sino-African encounters
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Chinese Migrants and Africa's Development: New Imperialists or Agents of Change?
China's recent stepping up of relations with Africa is one of the most significant developments on the African continent for decades. For some it promises an end to Africa's dependent aid relationships as the Chinese bring expertise, technology, and a stronger business focus. But for others it is no more than a new form of imperialism.
This book is the first to systematically study the motivations, relationships, and impact of this migration. It focuses not just on the Chinese migrants but also on the perceptions of, and linkages to, their African 'hosts'. By studying this everyday interaction we get a much richer picture of whether this is South-South cooperation, as the political leaders would have us believe, or a more complex relationship that can both compromise and encourage African development