Will African conflicts threaten China’s business as usual approach?

Chinese investments in three countries – Ethiopia, Guinea and Sudan – could be threatened by wars and coups even though Beijing traditionally prefers to stay neutral

China’s vast range of infrastructure projects are particularly vulnerable to unrest and some observers believe there may be a long-term impact on investment

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Pro-democracy protesters in Sudan call for the ousted government to be restored. Photo: AP

Published: 6:00am, 1 Nov 2021Updated: 11:20am, 1 Nov 2021

Growing instability across Africa has focused fresh attention on China’s policy of avoiding internal politics and carrying on with business as usual, raising questions about whether it will be able to continue this approach.

For years, Chinese companies have been risk-takers and thrived in potentially hostile environments that Western firms shunned – even amid civil wars and coups – as part of Beijing’s non-interference policy.

David Shinn, a professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, said recent threats to Chinese nationals and interests in three African countries – Ethiopia, Guinea and Sudan – highlight its current approach.

China has significant interests in all three countries: large loan financing and investment in Ethiopia, bauxite in Guinea, and oil in Sudan.

“In all three cases, China quickly moved to protect its nationals by evacuating them from the Tigray region of Ethiopia and urging them to stay out of harm’s way and suspend activities in Sudan and Guinea,” said Shinn, a former US ambassador to Ethiopia.

“China did not take sides in the civil war in Ethiopia and, so far, has maintained a neutral position on the military coup in Sudan.”

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