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Split Views in Africa Over China’s Push to Build Parliaments and Other Government Buildings Across the Continent

by Eric Olander
Nancy Kacungira is a Ugandan presenter and reporter at BBC News.

The imminent handover of the newly-built Zimbabwe parliament building that was almost entirely paid for by the Chinese government has prompted a lively debate online about China’s so-called “Palace Diplomacy” in Africa.

Opinions about the new hall in Harare were largely split between those, who think it’s great if China wants to spend the money and those who think allowing a foreign country to pay for such a sensitive piece of infrastructure undermines Zimbabwe’s sovereignty. 

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