Friend or Foe: Perceptions of China in Africa

China\u27s rush to Africa for resources and a sphere of influence has inspired much debate in the academic world. Many western scholars generalize China\u27s Africa strategy or African perceptions of that strategy. These are both grave mistakes. While China\u27s objectives in Africa are the same all over, the way it achieves that strategy varies from nation to nation. In addition, African perceptions of China vary from nation to nation. Using Algeria and Niger as main case studies, this paper will show that the wealth of a nation changes the way that the Chinese government and Chinese nationals interact with that nation, and, that this modification of behavior is what causes positive or negative perceptions of China