ABSTRACT
The idea that “China is powerful” has become beyond question since the beginning of the twenty-fi rst century. The “rise of China”, the “China threat” and “China’s plan to dominate” are among the popular topics of analysis and discussion. 1 When it comes to Africa, China is even more prominently powerful. The asymmetrical power dynamic is a prevailing feature over the decade of China-Africa literature since 2006, the same year that numerous African leaders participated in the high-profi le political Forum on China and Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing. 2 Since then, the power relationship between China and Africa is often presented as unequal, with China being dominant and Africa being weak, which is considered to differ little from the colonial pattern of Western involvement in Africa (Tull 2006).
