African market remains major attraction for Chinese firms

Chinese investors remain enthusiastic about investing in the African market despite frustrations and challenges coming from unexpected restrictions, misunderstandings and cultural conflicts.

For years, Chinese enterprises, both major State-owned ones and privately owned small ones, have been finding their way onto the African continent either to transfer their production capacity or to seek new markets.

There are now more than 10,000 Chinese enterprises operating in Africa, with 90 percent being privately owned, according to Wei Jianguo, vice-president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.