China in Africa: What role does China play in Angola's reconstruction programme?

The prevailing view in the burgeoning literature on China’s engagement in Africa is the dominance of the Chinese Dragon rendering the African counterpart as passive actors.  Lucy Corkin challenges this assumption. She will focus on the case of China in Angola and explore the role of the Angolan government in the evolvement of Chinese-Angolan relations. China’s role in Angola is particularly massive and major loans have been provided for Angola’s reconstruction in exchange for access to Angola’s oil.

Loans from the Chinese Exim Bank have been a main instrument in facilitating the Chinese presence in Angola. Through an examination of the process and mechanism of the loans’ negotiation Lucy Corkin will show how the Angolan government helped shape the negotiations and their results.  

Lucy Corkin is a Research Associate at the Africa-Asia Centre, School of Oriental and African Studies in London where she is also pursuing her PhD on China's role in Angola. She was previously a Projects Director at the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. She is the author of numerous reports and studies on China in Africa.