Now that China has all but stopped large-scale lending for major infrastructure projects in Africa, there’s a lot of confusion over what happens next. After all, Chinese lending has been the cornerstone of Beijing’s 15+ year engagement strategy on the continent.
But a story published this week in China’s most influential newspaper, The People’s Daily, might offer a few clues. The report featured insights from Huang Ying (黄莹), a senior loan official from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world’s largest bank, about where she sees the opportunities for Chinese companies (public and private) seeking to invest in Africa: