In recent years, China has made massive inroads to secure valuable assets within Africa. Since the start of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, Chinese profits have quadrupled from Africa alone. In 2017 for instance, Chinese projects in Africa from the BRI brought in an estimated of $51 billion dollars in revenues. There is no mistaking that Africa is a key component in China’s economic ambitions.
The amount of labor and capital migrating to China has also seen a spike in recent years. It was reported in 2018 that over 200,000 Chinese workers migrated to Africa, bringing the current number of Chinese workers in Africa to about one million. In addition, an estimated 10,000 Chinese companies have also set up shop in numerous African nations, looking to take advantage of the rich natural resources the continent has to offer. We are seeing a scramble for Africa within our very own life time.