ABSTRACT
Chinese entrepreneurs in Benin and Ghana always underline that “the toughest competition we face is not with other foreign companies, but among us, among Chinese companies ourselves.” Price war 1 not a sustainable business strategy (see Chapter Three ). Local relations that develop over time form an essential asset for Chinese SOEs and their Chinese country directors in West Africa. Time allows cultivating local resources for business and personal development. With time, more localized Chinese SOEs are more successful in business development. Their Chinese country directors are often socially promoted in the local elite class and are rich in local political and social networks. They actively seek to reposition themselves in the power dynamics with other actors in order to stand out from the fi erce competition. Their repositioning is evident when scrutinizing the dynamics of the “Chinese community” in the hosting country. The localized Chinese SOE directors and managers compete to make themselves “leaders” of the Chinese community, which in turn reinforces their negotiating power visà-vis the Chinese authority, the Chinese Embassy and local business partners.
