The East Africa region has emerged as an increasingly important economic and strategic hub. Home to several frontier markets, it has become a theatre of competition between the great and regional powers. The region features some of China’s most prominent infrastructure development projects as well as its first foreign military base. China’s “Going Out” Policy has resulted in substantial overseas investment in Africa over the past few decades. Between 2007 and 2020, China invested USD 23 billion in infrastructure investment in Africa.

While Beijing has played an important role in addressing the region’s critical infrastructure needs, it has been accused of monopolising the “whole industry chain export”. This criticism and local realities have led to a reexamination of China’s development policies in the region.

Tabadlab convened a panel of experts and academics to discuss China’s role in overseas development financing, including AidData's Director of the Chinese Development Finance Program, Ammar Malik. The central focus of the conversation was on East Africa and the implications for other regions engaged in a similar relationship with China.