It’s a bit counterintuitive to think that a country supposedly run by a communist workers party would be so hostile to labor unions, which is the case in China. Although there are no independent Chinese unions and the few official unions there are do not have the ability to strike or organize against their employers as is common elsewhere. Nonetheless, China’s official unions think they have something to offer their African counterparts and are reaching out to work together. Part of the effort is to help smooth the increasingly tense relations between Chinese employers and African workers on the continent. The China Global South Project’s newest contributor Madallena Procopio, a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics, is our special guest to discuss Sino-African labor union cooperation.
Maddalena Procopio is a PhD Candidate in International Relations at the London School of Economics. Her research focuses on Kenyan state-society negotiations in response to Chinese activities in the Trade, Healthcare and Education sectors. She is also Associate PhD with ANR EsCa where she is conducting research on Chinese soft power in Africa and Associate with the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi.
