Chinese Energy Engagement in Africa

China plays an indispensable role in Africa's burgeoning energy market as a financier and contractor for much of the new electrical capacity across the continent. China's building large new coal plants in Zimbabwe, solar power facilities in Kenya and Zambia and massive hydroelectric dams in Guinea. While there's no dispute that African countries need the additional electrical capacity and distribution that Chinese stakeholders facilitate, China's presence in the market is quite contentious. There are widespread concerns over debt sustainability, environmental destruction and a general lack of transparency in the deals that the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises do with African countries. Wei Shen closely follows China's energy activities in Africa as a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies in Brighton, England. Wei recently published a new paper on Beijing's impact on the African energy sector and joins Eric & Cobus to discuss his findings. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @ SUBSCRIBE TO THE CAP'S DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER FOR JUST $3 FOR 3 MONTHS. Your subscription supports independent journalism. Subscribers get the following: 1. A daily email newsletter of the top China-Africa news. 2. Access to the China-Africa Experts Network 3. Unlimited access to the CAP's exclusive analysis content on chinaafricaproject.com Try it out for just $3 for 3 months: www.chinaafricaproject.com/subscribe