The Crane: Episode #3 - China and “Debt Trap” Diplomacy in Africa: Facts & Data

The Crane: An Africa-China Podcast

Allegations and accusations that China is trapping Africa into unsustainable debt agreements have dominated the conversation around Africa-China relations in Western media, but what does the data tell us?

We look at the international implications of this claim, what debt trap diplomacy is, and who owns most of Africa's external debts. Featuring Sri Lanka, the African Development Bank, and the “secret” lenders they don’t tell us about.

For more, check out these studies:

• Brautigam, Deborah, and Meg Rithmire. "The Chinese ‘debt trap is a myth." The Atlantic, 6 February 2021. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/02/china-debt-trap-diplomacy/617953/.
• Jones, Lee, and Shahar Hameiri. "Debunking the myth of ‘debt-trap diplomacy’." Chatham House 19 (August 2020). https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/08/debunking-myth-debt-trap-diplomacy.
• Lippolis, Nicolas, and Harry Verhoeven. "Politics by Default: China and the Global Governance of African Debt." Survival 64, no. 3 (2022): 153-178.

The Crane: An Africa-China Podcast is a bi-monthly podcast giving you a fresh look at the news, events, and debates around China-Africa relations from the perspective of two young(ish) Africans.

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