Dragon Among the Lions: What Does China Really Want From Africa?

In 2009, China surpassed the United States as Africa’s largest trading partner, investing some US$7 billion each year in infrastructure projects around the continent. Is China really looking for a long-term relationship of “equality and mutual respect,” or does it want to be merely a “friend with benefits,” like many of the Western colonial powers that came before? How much do ordinary Africans really benefit from the financial largesse?