China's African Empire: The country that captured a continent
Oct 2026 · Bloomsbury Publishing
star
1 review
Ebook
432
Pages
About this ebook
'A must read' Peter Frankopan
From the bestselling author of Dictatorland, this is the long and turbulent history of China's growing influence over African states.
People are increasingly fascinated by – and terrified of – the role of China in the modern world. In Africa, this role has become something akin to a new colonial power. With unique insight into how China operates overseas, Paul Kenyon charts the country's extraordinary success in exploiting Africa's natural resources, consumers, workforce and political institutions.
In the 1950s African states gained independence from one set of colonisers and quickly struck up deals with a new, more insidious kind. Kenyon tells of how Mao and his comrades cultivated new African leaders – Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, Julius Nyerere in Tanzania and a young Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe – in exchange for lucrative deals and political influence that has never left. Now, Chinese power is built into the very structures of the continent, from roads to jobs to internet access.
Today China's presence is ubiquitous in Africa, both visibly and invisibly. Whilst Xi Jinping offers huge building projects, joint exploitation of mineral wealth and easy credit to African states still struggling to develop, Chinese tech companies have gained control over the continent's data, technological infrastructure and social media. This is a terrifying and ever more important story about the new economic and political hierarchies that shape our modern world.
From the bestselling author of Dictatorland, this is the long and turbulent history of China's growing influence over African states.
People are increasingly fascinated by – and terrified of – the role of China in the modern world. In Africa, this role has become something akin to a new colonial power. With unique insight into how China operates overseas, Paul Kenyon charts the country's extraordinary success in exploiting Africa's natural resources, consumers, workforce and political institutions.
In the 1950s African states gained independence from one set of colonisers and quickly struck up deals with a new, more insidious kind. Kenyon tells of how Mao and his comrades cultivated new African leaders – Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, Julius Nyerere in Tanzania and a young Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe – in exchange for lucrative deals and political influence that has never left. Now, Chinese power is built into the very structures of the continent, from roads to jobs to internet access.
Today China's presence is ubiquitous in Africa, both visibly and invisibly. Whilst Xi Jinping offers huge building projects, joint exploitation of mineral wealth and easy credit to African states still struggling to develop, Chinese tech companies have gained control over the continent's data, technological infrastructure and social media. This is a terrifying and ever more important story about the new economic and political hierarchies that shape our modern world.
'A must read' Peter Frankopan
From the bestselling author of Dictatorland, this is the long and turbulent history of China's growing influence over African states.
People are increasingly fascinated by – and terrified of – the role of China in the modern world. In Africa, this role has become s...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
1 review
About the author
Paul Kenyon is a distinguished BBC correspondent and BAFTA award-winning journalist. He has reported from danger-zones around the world for BBC Panorama, pushing the boundaries of investigative journalism. Kenyon is the recipient of an Association of International Broadcasters Award, and three Royal Television Society awards. His recent books are Dictatorland and Children of the Night.
Paul Kenyon is a distinguished BBC correspondent and BAFTA award-winning journalist. He has reported from danger-zones around the world for BBC Panorama, pushing the boundaries of investigative journalism. Kenyon is the recipient of an Association of International Broadcasters Award, and three Ro...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
