Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

John Magufuli Took a Lot of Inspiration From the Chinese Communist Party in Shaping Tanzania’s Ruling Party

The late Tanzanian President John Magufuli. ERICKY BONIPHACE / AFP

Late in John Magufuli’s life, some observers mistakenly came to see the former Tanzanian President as a budding China hawk for his high-profile rejection of a $10 billion deal with China Merchants Holdings to build out the Bagamoyo port.

But the reality is that Magufuli, like his presidential predecessors, was ideologically aligned with Beijing, and according to an in-depth report in today’s Nation newspaper (Kenya), he was a faithful standard-bearer of the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party that’s also been heavily inspired by the Chinese Communist Party.

Lead the Conversation on China

Subscribe Today to Get Full Access to The China-Global South Project

Check Out Everything You'll Get With Your Subscription

The China-Global South Daily Brief delivered to your inbox at 6AM Washington time

Full access to exclusive news and analysis from editors based in the Global South

Transcripts of CGSP’s twice-weekly podcasts

Students and teachers with a valid .edu email address are eligible for a 50% discount off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Email us to receive a discount code.

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.