The London-based think tank Overseas Development Institute published its first Economic Pulse report detailing Chinese overseas investment patterns during the pandemic and what the implications are for countries along the Belt and Road.

The report contains a mix of good news and bad news for African policymakers, who are counting on continued access to Chinese financing and investment to help their economies rebound in the post-COVID-19-era. “Short term,” the authors write, Chinese “foreign investment and service exports are unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels [as] these were already slowing in Africa and Latin America.” But they’re more optimistic that Chinese outbound investment to these regions will pick up again in the longer term.