CARI Events

2021 Virtual Conference – "China's Overseas Lending in Comparative Perspective" April 6th 2021
The 7th Annual China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) Conference was held virtually from Tuesday, April 6 to Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Read the program here. Watch recordings of each panel: Lenders and Borrowers in Distress, Book Talk I – China and "Global" Norms on Export Finance, Chinese Loan Data: What, When, Where? – Roundtable for Wonks, Keynote 2 – Globalizing Patient Capital, Borrower Agency, Changing modalities and case studies of Chinese finance, What is the impact of Chinese lending?

Chinese Loans to Africa, 2019 Data March 30th 2021
In recent years, China has become a highly visible and talked about actor in Africa's financial landscape. As the economic and political dimensions of China-Africa relations continue to grow and shift, how has Chinese lending to African nations changed over time? What was the state of Chinese lending to Africa prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and how is lending likely to shift in the post-pandemic era?

Coopérations entrepreneuriales franco-chinoises en Afrique November 10th 2020
This was a French-language event. No English-language translation was provided. On considère généralement que l'arrivée des entreprises chinoises en Afrique s'est faite au détriment des entreprises occidentales, en particulier françaises. Certes, certaines d'entre elles ont pu perdre des marchés, mais la réalité est beaucoup plus complexe, car de nombreuses coopérations entrepreneuriales franco-chinoises ont vu le jour et se sont multipliées tant et si bien que ces coopérations deviennent progressivement la norme dans le domaine des infrastructures. C'est cette réalité que ce webinaire a tenté d'illustrer.

Coopérations entrepreneuriales franco-chinoises en Afrique November 10th 2020
This was a French-language event. No English-language translation was provided. On considère généralement que l'arrivée des entreprises chinoises en Afrique s'est faite au détriment des entreprises occidentales, en particulier françaises. Certes, certaines d'entre elles ont pu perdre des marchés, mais la réalité est beaucoup plus complexe, car de nombreuses coopérations entrepreneuriales franco-chinoises ont vu le jour et se sont multipliées tant et si bien que ces coopérations deviennent progressivement la norme dans le domaine des infrastructures. C'est cette réalité que ce webinaire a tenté d'illustrer.

2020 Virtual Conference – "Strategic Interests, Security Implications: China, Africa, and the Rest" September 22nd 2020
The 6th Annual China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) Conference was held virtually from Tuesday, September 22 to Friday, October 2, 2020. This year's theme was "Strategic Interests, Security Implications: China, Africa, and the Rest." Our 2020 keynote speaker, on Thurs, Sep 24, was Prof. Chris Alden, on China's Changing Role in African Security. Read the program here. Watch recordings of each panel: PANEL 1: Development-Security Nexus, PANEL 2: Security Engagement, Military Exports & Arms Sales, PANEL 3: Keynote speech Chinas Changing Role in African Security, PANEL 4: Emerging Technologies and Security Implications, PANEL 5: Featured Roundtable: Chinese Sharp Power and Africa, PANEL 6: Peacekeeping & Humanitarian Programs, PANEL 7: Commercial Interests and Private Security Companies, PANEL 8: Regional Actors, Multipolarity, & Comparative Perspectives

Risky Business: New Data on Chinese Loans and Africa's Debt Problem July 2nd 2020
From modest beginnings in 1960, China has recently become a highly visible actor in Africa's lending landscape. The World Bank recently released data on official debt to China in 37 African countries. We at CARI use this debt data, and our own new data on over 1,100 loan commitments across all of China's African borrowers, to analyze Chinese lending to Africa's risky borrowers. Which African borrowers are most at risk of debt distress, and how does Chinese lending affect this debt? Who are the Chinese lenders in Africa and how do they manage lending in risky environments? What kind of terms do we see on Chinese loans in Africa? How does China's collateralized lending work in Africa? Do Chinese banks require property as collateral for loans to African governments or their state-owned enterprises?

China, Africa, and Debt Distress: Fact and Fiction about Asset Seizures June 25th 2020
In the past two years, news headlines have periodically speculated that African borrowers are at risk of losing their sovereign assets to Chinese lenders. How well does the data reflect these headlines? Is the idea of widespread asset seizures a myth?

Debt Relief with Chinese Characteristics June 18th 2020
As China is poised to become the world’s largest creditor, concerns about debt sustainability have grown. Yet considerable confusion exists over what is likely to happen when a government runs into trouble repaying its Chinese loans.

TAZARA Stories – Documentary Screening and Discussion with Dr. Jamie Monson October 18th 2019
TAZARA Stories tells the story of a train through the memories of those who built it. Set in Tanzania, Zambia and China, the film interweaves oral and visual narratives of workers from three nations who found themselves laboring side by side in a massive infrastructure project at the height of the Cold War. Remembering and reliving their youth, the workers take us on a journey in time from the exhilaration of construction through disappointments and derailments to their own hopeful resilience in the face of enduring change. 

"Tales from the Road" – Dr. James Reilly Talk on Chinese Economic Statecraft October 9th 2019
What explains China's distinctive approach to economic statecraft? When is China's economic statecraft most effective, and what can the China case tell us about economic statecraft more broadly? This presentation will engage these three questions by drawing upon my current book manuscript. The book begins with two chapters tracing the ideas and institutions at the heart of the 'China model' of economic statecraft, followed by two most-likely cases for success: Myanmar and North Korea. The final three empirical chapters examine a set of least-likely cases, first comparing China's economic statecraft in Western Europe with Central and Eastern Europe, and then assessing Beijing's impact upon European policy decisions. The findings show how China uses economic resources to exert influence abroad and identify when Beijing is most effective. By exploring the domestic drivers of China's economic statecraft, this book will also help launch a new research field: the comparative study of economic statecraft.

2019 Conference - "Catalysts, Competition and Learning: Knowledge, Skills, and Technology Transfer in China-Africa Engagements" April 15th 2019
The 5th Annual China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) Conference was held on Monday, April 15 and Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington DC. This year's theme was "Catalysts, Competition and Learning: Knowledge, Skills, and Technology Transfer in China-Africa Engagements." 

2018 Conference - "Matters of State: Politics, Governance, and Agency in China-Africa Engagement" April 19th 2018
Read the program here. Watch recordings of the panels: PANEL 1: Africa, China and the West, PANEL 2: African Agency and Strategic Bargaining, PANEL 3: Leadership, Power and Agency, and Regulation, PANEL 4: Civil Society, Populism, and Micropolitics, PANEL 5: African State Capacity, Bureaucracies, and Norm Diffusion, PANEL 6: Understanding China/Africa through Data

Chinese Investment & Knowledge Transfer in Africa's Manufacturing Sector March 9th 2018
Over the past few years, hundreds of Chinese firms have invested in manufacturing in Africa. Our researchers explored the realities of this investment on the ground: what sectors are Chinese firms investing in? Is technology being transferred? Are Africans gaining manufacturing skills?

Wolf Warrior II Film Screening and Discussion February 28th 2018
Wolf Warrior 2 (战狼2) is a 2017 Chinese action film directed by Wu Jing, who also stars in the lead role. The film tells a story of a loose cannon Chinese soldier named Leng Feng who takes on special missions around the world. In this sequel, he finds himself in an African country protecting medical aid workers from local rebels and vicious arms dealers. Wolf Warrior 2 was a massive commercial success both in China and abroad and has become the highest-grossing Chinese film ever released, as well as the sixth highest-grossing film of 2017.

Policy Roundtable: Prospects for U.S.-China-Africa Relations in the Trump Era April 27th 2017
Early signs in Donald Trump's presidency indicate the United States will likely retreat from Africa under an "America First" foreign policy. How will the respective roles of the United States and China in Africa change under these circumstances? Will existing opportunities for constructive trilateral collaboration remain, or will they need to be modified? How will African countries respond to these shifts? This roundtable will draw on the public and private sectors to explore the future of U.S.-China-Africa relations in an evolving geopolitical landscape. Ready the program here. 

Film Screening: Guangzhou Dream Factory December 2nd 2016
Immigration, globalization, Chinese factories and African dreams...GUANGZHOU DREAM FACTORY weaves stories of Africans chasing alluring, yet elusive, 'Made in China' dreams into a compelling critique of our 21st century global economy. Following a filmmaker's journey from Ghana to China and back to Africa, GUANGZHOU DREAM FACTORY provides a rare glimpse of African aspirations in an age of endless outsourcing.

2016 Conference - "Orient Express: Chinese Infrastructure Engagement in Africa" October 13th 2016
The 3rd Annual China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) Conference was held on October 13 & 14, 2016 at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. This year's theme was "Orient Express: Chinese Infrastructure Engagement in Africa," and we were pleased to have Dr. Jamie Monson, Professor of History and Director of African Studies at Michigan State University, as our keynote speaker. Read the program here. 

CARI-Ethiopian Development Research Institute Workshop June 27th 2016
CARI-Ethiopian Development Research Institute Workshop in Addis Ababa, June 27-28, 2016

Policy Roundtable: How Chinese Money is Transforming Africa: It's Not What You Think April 21st 2016
China-Africa Week at SAIS culminated in the launch of CARI's database on Chinese loans in Africa, followed by a policy roundtable that discussed the wider implication of Chinese development finance in Africa.

Film Screenings: When China Met Africa and China Remix April 19th 2016
This event was part of China-Africa Week at SAIS.The China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) hosted a viewing of two films documenting the evolving relationship between African and Chinese communities.

Policy Roundtable: What is China Really Doing in Rural Africa? April 18th 2016
This event was part of China-Africa Week at SAIS. The panel was made up of five policy experts regarding China's involvement in African countries, specifically Tanzania, Mozambique, and Uganda. The forum was moderated by Professor Jessica Fanzo and Professor Deborah Brautigam.

SAIS-CARI African Ambassador Roundtable November 19th 2015
On November 19, 2015, in preparation for the 6th Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg, South Africa, December 4–5, SAIS-CARI hosted a private roundtable at Johns Hopkins SAIS for African Ambassadors and senior staff in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Deborah Brautigam's Will Africa Feed China? book launch discussion October 29th 2015.
To celebrate the publication of CARI Director Deborah Brautigam's new book SAIS-CARI hosted a roundtable discussion. Dr. Amadou Sy, Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution and Professor Ling Chen, Assistant Professor of International Political Economy joined Dr. Brautigam in discussing the new book. Professor David Lampton, Director of SAIS' China Studies Program, moderated the discussion. After presenting her findings and taking questions from the audience, Professor Brautigam met with guests to sign copies of the book.

Dr. Luke Patey's book talk on The New Kings of Crude: China, India, and the Global Struggle for Oil in Sudan and South Sudan October 20th, 2015.
The lecture will discuss the overseas investments of Chinese national oil companies, their close ties with their respective governments in Beijing, and experiences with political and security risks in Sudan and South Sudan. Beyond examining the economic and political impact of Chinese and Indian engagement in Sudan and South Sudan, the book argues that the two Sudans are examples of how Africa is shaping the rise of China and India as world powers.