Victims of Chinese neo-colonialism or beneficiaries in a win-win-relationship? An ethnographic research on African agency in Ethio-China relations

The Chinese presence in Ethiopia has been growing considerably in recent years. Mostly young, resourceful Ethiopians have found ways to profit from it in various ways. Based on a six-week field trip in Ethiopia, the author argues that cultural brokers and merchants, who directly interact with Chinese business migrants, actively profit from the Chinese presence in their country. On the one hand, cultural brokers execute agency within Ethio-China relations through translation, facilitation and mediation and by creating intercultural meaning and understanding. Merchants on the “China Market” in Addis Ababa on the other hand ameliorate their incomes by adapting to Chinese demands and interacting with traders in China. Both groups embark on journeys to China themselves for business or educational reasons. However, a deep inequality of opportunities and limited agency was observed. Workers and daily labourers are regularly victims of exploitation. Chinese employers actively profit from low labour costs, the absence of a minimum wage and weak enforcement of labour rights by the Ethiopian government. Strict hierarchies and exploitative work regimes in Chinese factories, as well as a challenging socio-economic environment, leave very little room for purposeful actions, inventiveness and creativity. Capabilities to act out agency in the interaction with Chinese migrants are unevenly distributed and depend on education, language skills, financial and social resources. Dominant narratives about China's activities in Africa have proven to be misleading to describe the situation in Ethiopia. China is neither “neo-colonising” Ethiopians, nor is the Chinese presence “mutually beneficial” for all actors involved. Considering the inequality of opportunities and limited agency at play in Ethio-China relations, the question about who exactly benefits most from these relations is crucial, but often neglected in dominant narratives.