Market Power and Role of the Private Sector Chinese Investment in Africa CHINA-AFRICA BUSINESS COUNCIL China-Africa Business Council A-2106 Lead International, Jia No.2 Wangjing Zhong Huan South Road Chaoyang Dist., Beijing 100102 China Internet: http://en.cabc.org.cn Email: [email protected]; Telephone: 0086 (010) 6416 9865 This work is a product of the staff of the China-Africa Business Council with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the China-Africa Business Council, its Board members, or the governments. The accuracy of investment-related data contained is one of our main objectives. However, there may be areas that need further verification. We welcome and will appreciate any correction in the report. You may copy, download, or print this manuscript for your own use, and you may include passages from this publication in your own documents, blogs, websites, and other materials, as long as China-Africa Business Council is appropriately accredited as the source. CONTENTS Foreword A New Milestone ...............................................................................................................................................................I A Look into the Future ..............................................................................................................................................III Preface ..............................................................................................................................................................................V Part I: The History of Chinese Enterprises in Africa I. Development Stages of Chinese Enterprises ................................................................................ 1 (I) A Starting Point from 1980s ..................................................................................................................................... 1 (II) “Rapid Development in Small Steps” since 2000s .................................................................................. 1 (III) Current Achievements of the Private Sector ............................................................................................ 4 II. Reasons to Invest in Africa ............................................................................................................................. 8 (I) Internal Motivations ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 (II) Advantageous features of Chinese Private Enterprises ....................................................................... 9 III. Africa’s Attractiveness .....................................................................................................................................11 (I) The AU Agenda 2063 ...............................................................................................................................................11 (II) Resilient Growth and Unleashed Potentials ..............................................................................................11 IV. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation .................................................................................... 15 (I) The Beijing Summit in 2006: Eight Measures .......................................................................................... 16 (II) The Johannesburg Summit in 2015: Ten Cooperation Plans ......................................................... 18 (III) The Beijing Summit in 2018: Eight Major Initiatives ........................................................................... 20 Part II: The Role of Chinese Enterprises in Africa I. The Performance of Chinese Enterprises in Major African Economies ........... 25 (I) Middle-income Countries: Facilitators in Capital and Technology ............................................. 26 (II) Resource Rich Countries: Facilitators in Economic Diversification .......................................... 32 (III) Non-resource Rich Countries: Facilitators in Industrialization and Modernization ...... 45 II. The Performance of Chinese Enterprises in Africa’s Traditional Industries 53 (I) Infrastructure: Breaking the Constraints of Economic Development ........................................ 54 (II) Manufacturing: Promoting the Development and Transformation of Multiple Industries ................................................................................................................................................................................. 59 (III) Energy & Mining: Turning Resource Wealth into Real Economic Returns ......................... 66 (IV) Agricultural Processing: Adding Value and Extending the Supply Chain .......................... 68 III. Contributions of Chinese Enterprises During the Pandemic .................................. 73 (I) Contributions of Chinese Enterprises in Response to the Outbreak in Africa .................... 73 (II) CSR Impact on Poverty Reduction through Investment ................................................................ 77 Part III: Highlights and Challenges in Sino-African Investment Cooperation I. Africa’s Investment Environment: Perception of Chinese Enterprises ............. 81 (I) Coping with the Impact of Uncertainty ......................................................................................................... 81 (II) Coping with a More Complex International Environment ............................................................... 83 II. Gaps and Improvements to Be Made by Chinese Enterprises ............................... 85 (I) When Going Abroad .................................................................................................................................................. 85 (II) Making Up for Shortcomings ............................................................................................................................. 86 III. New Trends in Chinese Enterprises’ Investment in Africa ......................................... 88 (I) Transformation and Upgrading of Private Investment ........................................................................ 88 (II) Increasing Attention to Africa from Large Private Enterprises .................................................... 92 (III) Growing Focus on New Industries................................................................................................................ 96 IV. Expectations of the Upcoming 2021 FOCAC Meeting .............................................. 105 Index References Acknowledgements Foreword | I Foreword A New Milestone ince the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, China and Africa have made great strides in all-round, multi-level S and wide-ranging cooperation. High level interactions between China and Africa have become increasingly frequent, and mutual political trust has strengthened. Since the 2015 Johannesburg Summit in South Africa, China and Africa have established a comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, opening a new era of cooperation. In 2019, trade between China and Africa exceeded USD 200 billion, 20 times more than that in 2000 1. For the past 11 years, China has been Africa’s largest trading partner with gratifying results 2. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was established in 2021 after 6 years of deliberate negotiations. The African continent will further promote regional integration, increase the effective allocation of resources and production, and release new growth potential. China-Africa cooperation is a South-South cooperation that goes beyond traditional North-South development assistance. It combines aid, trade, and investment. While creating jobs and increasing foreign exchange earnings, it helps industrial development in African countries, promotes structural transformation, and achieves broader development goals. By January 2021, 46 countries in Africa had signed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation agreements with China, the largest number of countries from any continent in the world. China-Africa cooperation offers broad prospects. It will help African countries realize industrialization and modernization, eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development. With the spread of protectionism, anti-globalization, and populism, China-Africa cooperation is also of great significance in upholding multilateralism, enhancing the rights and interests of developing countries, promoting the BRI and addressing a scale of changes unseen in a century. 1 Yicai, Guo Jinhui, 2020, https://www.yicai.com/news/100874772.html 2 Two Decades of A Shared Journey toward New Heights in the New Era- -Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Wang Yi, 2020 II | Foreword Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, developing countries have been under a huge threat. The Chinese government and its enterprises, together with the people of Africa, have worked to fight the pandemic, demonstrating the profound friendship between the Chinese and African peoples. Chinese enterprises in Africa actively support local containment and prevention measures, promote the resumption of work and normal daily life, provide a large number of materials, vaccines and technical assistance. It has made a great contribution to the fight against the pandemic, set a model for promoting the global community of shared future, and provided