Along with its economic presence, China has rapidly expanded its environmental footprint in Africa. An important objective of China’s Africa strategy is to extract natural resources that have so far not been accessible. Such resources are often located in fragile ecosystems and countries with weak governance systems. As a long-term partner in Africa’s development, China has an interest in addressing the environmental impacts of its projects.

China has begun the process of establishing guidelines for overseas investments. Given the speed of its global expansion, these guidelines
will need to become more comprehensive (in terms of the sectors and types of companies they cover) and deepened through binding
regulations.

African governments can learn from China’s experience by being selective in the types of investments that they invite and by making sure that investments do not undermine the long-term environmental foundations of growth and prosperity. Africa’s civil society is taking an active interest in China’s role in the continent and will continue to monitor the sustainability of Chinese investments.