Author: Basile Ndjio.

This paper discusses the ambivalent attitude of local men towards Chinese migrant sex workers who have become key players in the growing sex business in Cameroon. The main argument of this paper is that ‘Shanghai beauties’, as Cameroonians generally refer to Chinese migrant prostitutes, are part of the cheap and depreciated commodities that China is exporting to this country through its well-organised trade networks mostly controlled by Chinese traders from overseas. As such, the equivocal perception of these Asian sex workers by the native population as both cheap bodies and junk sex only reflects the general perception of China-sourced goods at large.