Still, China has reportedly inked over 200 BRI cooperation agreements with more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations. China has also spent about $240bn bailing out countries struggling with their BRI debts, according to separate research published earlier this year. Experts say that BRI financing has now been increasingly focused on smaller projects, with specific aims relating to social or political goals. In Africa, China’s influence has been steadily growing since BRI’s launch, says Samir Bhattacharya, a senior research associate at Vivekananda International Foundation. In light of this, Bhattacharya calls for a factual review of China’s recent economic interactions with Africa that would help to analyze the current trend and forecast some outcomes for Africa from the recent BRI and beyond.
