Comparing Chinese Rail Projects in Kenya and Indonesia

File image of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway that China financed and built as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Simon Mania/AFP

China is building rail lines all over the Global South. But how does Africa’s experience with Chinese contractors compare with that of Southeast Asian countries? 

The South African Institute of International Affairs recently published a paper comparing the environmental, social and governance aspects of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway with Indonesia’s Bandung-to-Jakarta High Speed Railway, both built and financed by Chinese entities.

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by Cobus van Staden

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