Paper short abstract:

This paper compares the development trajectories and urbanizing impacts of Chinese OETCZs in multiple African countries. It explores how industrial and urban policies are shared between Chinese provinces and host African governments, resulting in different modalities and outcomes of Chinese OETCZs.

Paper long abstract:

The recent ministerial summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2021 pledged continued Chinese investment in building Overseas Economic and Trade Cooperation Zones (OETCZs) across Africa to deepen and advance China-Africa cooperation in diverse sectors. Yet, despite high scholarly and policy attention on the rise of Chinese OETCZs globally, there is limited knowledge regarding the mechanisms and relationship to shape zones' local development and influence. This paper addresses this gap by comparing the growth trajectories and urbanizing impacts of the first generation of Chinese OETCZs in Africa. It identifies the distinctive pathways through which industrial and urban policies are shared between Chinese provinces and host African governments, leading to different modalities and outcomes of Chinese OETCZs. Results highlight the internationalization of sub-national development models from China, which problematizes the methodological nationalism in understanding China's global engagement. The host African governments, rather than passive recipients of Chinese model, are also proactive and critical players in shaping the fate of OETCZs and Chinese investors operating in the zones. The comparative case study aims to shed light on the nature of Chinese zone model as well as the contingency and variability in their local embeddedness and developmental impacts.