China's flagship economic cooperation program is bouncing back after a lull during the global pandemic, with Africa a primary focus, according to a Reuters analysis of lending, investment and trade data.
Chinese leaders have been citing the billions of dollars committed to new construction projects and record two-way trade as evidence of their commitment to assist with the continent's modernization and foster "win-win" cooperation.
But the data reveals a more complex relationship, one that is still largely extractive and has so far failed to live up to some of Beijing's rhetoric about the Belt and Road initiative (BRI), President Xi Jinping's strategy to build an infrastructure network connecting China to the world.