Matt Ferchen
{
"authors": [
"Matt Ferchen"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Carnegie China"
],
"collections": [
"China and the Developing World"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie China",
"programAffiliation": "",
"programs": [],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa",
"East Asia",
"China"
],
"topics": [
"Economy"
]
}Source: Getty
The Danger of Too Much Chinese Debt in Africa
Analysis of China’s investment decisions in Africa can be informed by the debt crises of Venezuela and other high-risk countries in the Global South.
Source: China Africa Project
Under the auspices of One Belt, One Road (OBOR) and the Chinese government’s ‘Go Out’ overseas investment strategy, the country’s economic footprint in Africa is undeniably growing. That said, it is difficult to identify the pace at which investment is growing, how it compares to investment streams from other countries, and to what extent it is benefiting the general public in African countries. This podcast episode seeks to parse truth from myth and determine just how much China is investing in the economies of African countries and the liabilities of the resulting debt.
Carnegie–Tsingua’s Matt Ferchen joins Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden to discuss China’s loan practices in financing infrastructure projects in Africa.
This podcast was originally published by the China Africa Project.
About the Author
Former Nonresident Scholar, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
Ferchen specializes in China’s political-economic relations with emerging economies. At the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, he ran a program on China’s economic and political relations with the developing world, including Latin America.
- How China Is Reshaping International DevelopmentQ&A
- Why Unsustainable Chinese Infrastructure Deals Are a Two-Way StreetArticle
Matt Ferchen, Anarkalee Perera
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Trump and Xi Are Angling for Three Years of StabilityCommentary
But their "principal to principal" model will only be as effective as the political strength of each leader back home.
Damien Ma
- China’s Police and Security Cooperation AgreementsPaper
China’s Ministry of Public Security is often portrayed as a domestic law enforcement agency, but it is also a global security actor. This paper explores how MPS has used international law enforcement and security cooperation agreements—over 200 since 2006—to advance China’s vision of security in a changing global environment.
Sophie Zhuang, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Cameron Waltz
- Could Migrants From India and Africa Solve Russia’s Labor Shortage?Commentary
The demands of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, demographic problems, and public hostility toward Central Asians mean Russia does not have enough workers.
Salavat Abylkalikov
- Europe Should Not Let Nuclear Nonproliferation DieCommentary
Amid uncertainty caused by the Iran war, the global drive for nonproliferation has stalled. With Europe diplomatically marginalized and countries reassessing their nuclear options, efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons risk becoming irrelevant.
Jane Darby Menton
- The Strategic Stakes of AGOA Reform and RenewalArticle
Strengthening U.S.-Africa trade and advancing U.S. interests aren’t conflicting goals.
Tyler Beckelman, Kholofelo Kugler