Attacks on Chinese citizens and businesses in sub-Saharan Africa tend to increase in the years following a rise in Chinese investment, according to a new study by researchers at the School of Overseas Security and Protection at the Chinese People’s Police University.
However, the authors stressed that the findings should not be interpreted as evidence that Chinese investment itself caused violence.
They argued that Chinese investment was often concentrated in resource-rich but politically fragile regions where armed conflict, weak governance and social tensions were already prevalent.
The South China Morning Post has decided not to name the report’s authors due to the sensitivity of the subject matter.
As investment expands, Chinese projects, companies and personnel become more exposed to existing security risks. According to the researchers, investment interacts with local political and social conditions rather than acting as an independent trigger for violence.
“The coexistence of high risks and high investment creates a complex two-way relationship: various conflicts and their derived social risks continuously threaten Chinese project operations and personnel safety, while large-scale investment may also reshape local socio-economic structures and is even viewed by some as a potential factor that exacerbates conflicts,” said the report published in the peer-reviewed China Mining Magazine in May.
