The Chinese-African relationship is important to both sides, but also unbalanced

No other country comes near the depth and breadth of China’s engagement in Africa. It is Africa’s largest trading partner, bilateral creditor and a crucial source of infrastructure investment. Chinese firms account for an estimated one-eighth of the continent’s industrial output. Chinese-built digital infrastructure is critical to the platforms on which Africans communicate. Political, military and security ties are becoming closer. Understanding the China-Africa relationship is key to understanding the continent—and the global ambitions of Xi Jinping.