China’s Economic Emergence and Implications for Africa

China’s emergence as the world’s second-largest economy has transformed the world economy by creating a source of consumers as well as a place for production. As is consistent with becoming a major economy, China has become a net capital exporter, investing more abroad than it receives in inward foreign direct investment. The clearest manifestation of this outward investment is seen in the ‘Going Global’ policy for Chinese firms launched in the early 2000s and in the Belt and Road Initiative that began to invest in infrastructure overseas in 2013. The latter has significant implications for Africa as well as the Middle East, eastern parts of Europe, and South-east and Central Asia. This chapter explores the drivers of China’s emergence as an economic superpower and analyzes its wider potential impact, including on sub-Saharan Africa’s economic development, notably in respect of Chinese infrastructure investment in Kenya.