Introduction: China, Africa and Internationalization

Lee's masterful paired comparison of labour regimes in Tanzania and Zambia shows how different social and political environments within Africa have led to very different outcomes in terms of resistance to the casualization of labour, while Sautman and Yan's survey work on how China and the Chinese are perceived in different countries in Africa lays out variation in perception by both country and occupational group. Since Africa spreads over such a vast geographic scale, contains so many different sovereign states, political systems, languages, ethnic groups and historical experiences, analysis of "Africa" must lend itself to diversity. [...]at least on the border boomtown of Oshikango, Namibia, Chinese individuals and families who migrate to Africa in search of business opportunities are totally on their own, separated from each other in their diverse origins in China as well as from the agency of the Chinese state. [...]subject matter as different as general overviews of China's foreign policy towards Africa (Alden and Hughes), energy policy and "oil hunger" (Jiang), China's managerial experiences in Africa (Haglund), individual Chinese migration and small businesses in Africa (Dobler) and even the extremely important bilateral political relationship between China and Sudan (Large) are all subject to ever increasing numbers of actors who enjoy different relationships with the state. What is required is not just familiarity, but an intimate knowledge of both China and Africa that simultaneously investigates rapidly changing realities while giving voice to the participants involved. Since China and Africa are each so large and complex, this is a very tall order indeed, as the individual researcher is likely only to be able to focus on one small part of a much larger, complex whole. [...]there needs to be more systematic consideration of what is universal and what is particular about the China-Africa relationship.