Misconceptions proliferate about the investment by Chinese and Indian firms into Africa, according to a recent study by the Vale Columbia Centre, which terms the topic an “emotionally charged issue”.
Chinese and Indian firms have been part of a wave of commerce with Africa that has been growing rapidly for more than two decades and thus their involvement with this continent is not a new phenomenon, said Vale in a report issued last week. In 2008, exports from developing countries to other developing countries, which would include trade between Asia and Africa, accounted for 47% of overall exports, up from just 29% in 1990.
MA deals such as the $9 billion acquisition...