Introduction

This paper is a part of a broader project aimed at investigating the perception of China and the Chinese in Zambia and Angola. The growing Chinese presence in Africa is a fact that cannot be ignored by anybody who is interested in China, Africa or international affairs. For more than a decade, the Chinese have been making considerable effort in order to tighten their relations with African countries. They organize Sino-African forums, top Chinese officials visit Africa every year, and large amounts of financial assistance are distributed to African countries.

However, there are many negative comments concerning the Chinese activities in this region, especially in Western media and literature. Chinese leaders are accused of supporting African regimes (such as Bashir's in Sudan or Mugabe's in Zimbabwe) and unethical arms trade; the Chinese are frequently described as neo-colonialists trying to exploit African land and resources (see for example Taylor, 2004). Nevertheless, both those who treat the Chinese expansion in Africa as a potential threat to the region and/or to the position of Europe (see for example Alden, 2007, pp. 105-114) and those who positively perceive the Chinese presence there (see for example Li, 2008) agree that, especially during the last 10-15 years, the Chinese position in Africa has strengthened significantly in both the economic and the political sphere.