Author: Kwesi Aning, Delphine Lecoutre.

Relations between the People’s Republic of China (PRC; China) and Africa have a long history and have seen several changes over the course of time. Two of the critical and most commonly known phases are China’s role in Africa during the Cold War and, recently, the perception that China’s ventures in Africa are motivated mainly by its quest for energy security. Viewed objectively, there are few reasons for China to establish close strategic relations with Africa. China and Africa are geographically far apart and share neither language nor culture. Yet, in the 10 th century BC the Egyptian city of Alexandria started trading with China. Subsequently, Chinese and Africans came into contact because of Arab and European maritime expeditions occasioned by the slave trade.