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France Watches FOCAC 8 With Skepticism

by Eric Olander
HEADLINE TRANSATION: ChinaAfrica: the hour of disillusion

Coverage of this week’s FOCAC 8 in the French media is considerably higher than in previous years, most likely because it’s taking place in Senegal — a francophone country that Paris has long viewed as in its traditional sphere of influence.

So, with that in mind, it shouldn’t be a tremendous surprise that French stakeholders ranging from media outlets to journalists to scholars all seem to be looking at the conference in particular and China’s expansive role in Africa more broadly with a high degree of skepticism:

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