Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

What a Small Electric Substation in Kinshasa Tells Us About Why Developing Countries Often Prefer to Work With China on Infrastructure

by Eric Olander
Chinese-financed electric substation in Kinshasa. Image via @Amb_ZhuJing

China’s ambassador to the DR Congo, Zhu Jing, posted one of those anodyne tweets on Sunday about yet another Chinese-financed infrastructure project in Africa nearing completion.

These kinds of Chinese infrastructure soft power propaganda messages (aka “Infrastructure Porn”) have become so common that a tweet by Zhu about a small 200-kilovolt electric power sub-station doesn’t generate a lot of attention… but it should.

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.

You Might Like

Africa’s Shifting Infrastructure Landscape

In the current heated discussion about the fluctuations and debt implications of Chinese infrastructure funding to Africa, one sometimes forgets exactly how transformative Chinese financing has been on the continent. It’s no secret ...

Will China or the U.S. Build the New Mombasa-Nairobi Expressway? Confusion Swirls Amid Conflicting Headlines

The United States ambassador to Kenya, Kyle McCarter, blasted a report in the Friday edition of the Kenya Star newspaper that claimed the “U.S. government had ditched” the planned Mombasa ...

The B3W’s Many ‘Shoulds’

Despite seemingly coming from the same naming tradition that gave us Melania Trump’s Be Best campaign, the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative is firmly pointed away from the recent past. It seems ...

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.

Subscribe