The continent is an important part of Xi’s Belt and Road initiative – a plan to bolster a network of infrastructure connecting China by land and sea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. China has pledged $126bn for the plan, which has been praised by its supporters as a source of vital financing for the developing world. Critics say Africa is loading itself up on Chinese debt that countries may struggle to repay, with estimates ranging in the tens of billions of dollars.
looking beyond borders 