The Africa-China scholarship’s largely Sino-centric focus on the back of Western rivalry in the continent permeates both the historical and contemporary literature. The essential feature of such China-centrism is the consideration of Africa as a uniform entity, passive in the context of relations with China, and devoid of any contestations in China interactions. As the following sections detail, this weakness does not only pertain to the onset of studies as the PRC gained its independence and relations with Africa expanded, but also remains a seemingly never-ending symptom of contemporary studies in the Africa-China area. Simultaneously, the sections summarise the broad scholarly agreement regarding the trajectory of Africa-China relations while revealing the need to equally prioritise an Africa-centric focus. As has been hinted earlier, such China-centric departures marginalise the extensive rigour of the policymaking environment in Africa, limiting the explanations for Afri can policy choices and interactions with the PRC.
Africa-China scholarship must move beyond Sino-centric perspectives and prioritize an Africa-centric focus to fully understand the complexities of their relations.