China’s economic expansion on the African continent : A case study of China’s presence in Africa, with focus on Kenya

The purpose of this essay is to explain China’s growing economic presence in Africa through a case study regarding the relationship with Kenya, as well as to highlight the specific features of this presence. In order to achieve this goal, two theoretical perspectives will be applied to examine the data. These two perspectives are the “world-systems theory” developed by Immanuel Wallerstein, and the theory of “Imperialism” as defined by Johan Galtung. Through a textual analysis of the sources used, the essay has found that Chinese outward FDI finances projects in Africa that are commercially viable and mutually beneficial in economic terms. Research has also shown that Chinese outward FDI also attracts an alignment in voting patterns of African countries towards the Chinese in the UN General Assembly. Neither of these phenomena are consistent with the common misconception that China acts with imperialistic ambitions. Culturally, an influx of Chinese workers in Kenya have resulted in a heated debate concerning racial discord, as well as a change to working conditions within the affected African countries, defined as ‘’The Shanghai effect’’. According to the world-systems theory, the core state - in this case China, has an unequal relationship with Kenya, the peripheral state. Our data suggests that China’s growing economic presence in Africa is not fueled by imperialistic ambitions. Therefore, we conclude that China utilises their position of being a core state with a long-term perspective - seeking and utilising mutual benefits where they can be found