ABSTRACT
Even before the BRI arrived in Africa, China had established itself as a major economic, investment and infrastructure partner for African countries. The BRI was seen as an attempt to bring the Chinese engagement with Africa in a coherent framework. There are no clear differentiating factors between projects that came up before the unveiling of the BRI and the ones that came up after the launch in 2013. The BRI activity in Africa, just like the rest of the world, has been deliberately kept vague. Therefore, the BRI in Africa has to be understood as part of China’s continuing engagement with Africa. Largely, the BRI has neither significantly pushed forward the Chinese engagement with Africa nor has it diverted the Chinese attention away from Africa. In fact, with, without, and despite, the BRI, China’s growing presence in, and expanding engagement with, Africa has continued. Keeping this context in mind, the chapter focuses on some of the broad trends and major developments that are clearly discernible in the context of BRI and Africa.
