The Impact of China in the Perspectives of Structural Transformation of Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15847/cea51.49263Keywords:
structural transformation, China-Africa, development finance, industrial policy, debt sustainability, political economyAbstract
This article examines China’s contribution to structural transformation strategies in Africa. Moving beyond dominant narratives centred on dependency and geopolitical rivalry, it analyses how Chinese finance, investment, and infrastructure interact with African development trajectories. The article argues that China has expanded opportunities for structural transformation by supporting infrastructure development, industrial investment, and greater policy space. However, these opportunities are mediated by domestic political economy: their developmental effects depend on state capacity, institutional coordination, and coherent industrial strategies. While China has contributed to reopening transformation-oriented development paths, persistent structural constraints (particularly debt vulnerabilities and extractive dependence) continue to limit their outcomes. China’s role is therefore best understood as enabling, rather than determining, structural transformation.
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