Editor’s Note: This chapter is part of the 2013 Foresight Africa full report, which details the top priorities for Africa in the coming year. Read the full report here.
Recent senior leadership changes in the Chinese government have Africa experts wondering what impacts these changes will have on China-Africa relations. Yun Sun, Julius Agbor and Jessica Smith expect that China’s strategies in Africa may not change dramatically in 2013; however, African governments may have an evolving view of China’s sometimes unequal partnership.
Many Africans hope China’s new leaders will shift China’s priority from short-term resource exploitation to a more long-term sustainable development model. At the same time, albeit in small numbers, some African politicians and civil society organizations have begun to be more vocal in their opposition to China’s resource-centric approach toward the continent.
