Working Paper: “Non-State Actors and Perceptions of China in the Global South”

ABSTRACT

China has become an integral part of the economic trajectory of many countries in the Global South.  This is certainly the case for Cambodia and Zimbabwe.  As for the former, China is its top investor and donor.  As for the latter, China remains among its largest sources of foreign direct investment and a major trading partner.  Public discourse by Cambodian and Zimbabwean officials on Chinese engagements predominantly paints a rosy picture of a near-perfect partnership with an exclusive emphasis on positive aspects usually couched in South-South cooperation rhetoric like “win-win.”  In Zimbabwe, government officials at the highest levels credit the Asian giant for transforming the country’s landscape, economy, and lives.  An almost similar narrative prevails in Cambodia where both senior government officials and the Head of State hold Chinese economic engagements in high regard.  Assessments of China’s presence in and its impact on host economies in the global South, though, should not be the sole preserve of governments.  This study seeks to enrich discussions about China’s important impact in Africa by giving attention to non-state voices and their perceptions of China.  Consideration of the perceptions of non-state actors, especially affected communities, is crucial for obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of Chinese engagements in the global South.  Our study sets out to examine if general populaces held the same sentiments as their governments about Chinese economic engagements.  To that end, the study delves into two Chinese engagements, a private investment in Zimbabwe and an aid project in Cambodia as case studies.