Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, China has dramatically expanded its overseas presence, becoming a major financier across the Global South, including Africa. But ten years after its launch, the BRI appears to be in decline. Overseas lending from China’s policy banks has now largely dried up. Meanwhile, many of the recipients of China’s financial largesse are struggling to repay BRI-related debts. But in spite of a less enabling context, the systemic drivers of China’s overseas activity are still present. Savings remain high in China’s investment-driven development model, while decelerating growth rates do little to alleviate domestic overcapacity. Moreover, the ongoing geopolitical rivalry with the USA compels China to continue projecting its influence abroad. And against the backdrop of an escalating climate crisis, international leadership increasingly calls for financial contributions to tackling climate change.

The 2023 OUCAN Annual Conference, taking place on the BRI’s 10th anniversary, will discuss the way Chinese and African actors adapt to these changing realities, centring on discussions on new forms of investment, the political economy of debt, and the role of China in climate action.

Programme
10.00 – 10.20: Arrival and registration
10.20 – 10.30: Opening remarks
10.30 – 12.00: Panel 1 – The Future of Chinese Investment in Africa
12.00 – 13.00: Lunch break
13.00 – 14.30: Panel 2 – The Political Economy of Debt Restructuring
14.30 – 15.00: Coffee break
15.00 – 15.50: Keynote speech – China’s Rise and the Future of International Finance
15.50 – 17.20: Panel 3 – Climate Action in Africa: The Role of Chinese Capital and Technology
17.20 – 17.30: Closing remarks

Panel 1. The Future of Chinese Investment in Africa
Chair: * Stefan Dercon, University of Oxford
Panellists: * Linda Calabrese, King’s College London and Overseas Development Institute * Alemayehu Geda, Addis Ababa University * Tin Hinane El Kadi, London School of Economics * Tianyi Wu, University of Oxford

Panel 2. The Political Economy of Debt Restructuring
Chair: * Folashadé Soulé-Kohndou, University of Oxford and University of Ghana
Panellists: * Théo Maret, Global Sovereign Advisory * Oscar M. Otele, University of Nairobi * Sishuwa Sishuwa, Stellenbosch University * Marina Zucker Marques, SOAS, University of London

Keynote (Virtual): China’s Rise and the Future of International Finance * Avinash Persaud, Gresham College, Cambridge, and Government of Barbados

Panel 3. Climate Action in Africa: The Role of Chinese Capital and Technology
Chair: * Harry Verhoeven, Columbia University
Panellists: * Lakshmi Bhamidipati, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre * Sam Geall, China Dialogue * Wangari Muchiri, Global Wind Energy Council * Yixian Sun, University of Bath