Book Talk Event “The Railpolitik: Leadership and Agency in Sino-African Infrastructure Development”

  • Date：
    Fri, Mar 14, 2025
  • Time：
    10:00-12:00
  • Location：
    (In-person only): Seminar Room, Ito International Research Center 3F, Hongo campus, UTokyo
    MAP
  • Hosts：

    ＊Security Studies Unit (SSU), Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI), the University of Tokyo
    ＊JSPS Project “The Historical Process of Development of the East Asian International Order: The Connection of Non-Western International Relations Theory and Area Studies”

  • Language：

    English only

  • Registration：

    Please be sure to sign up from registration form below.

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Abstract

This book talk features Yuan Wang’s (Assistant Professor, Duke Kunshan University) book, The Railpolitik: Leadership and Agency in Sino-African Infrastructure Development (Oxford University Press, 2023).

The growing presence of China in Africa has drawn increasing scholarly and public attention. With Beijing’s announcement of the ‘going global’ policy in the early 2000s and further institutionalization through the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, Chinese policy banks and state-owned companies have cooperated with African countries to finance and complete multiple infrastructure projects. These projects, despite their ‘Chinese-ness,’ demonstrate starkly different development trajectories in different countries. Why do some Chinese-financed and constructed projects develop better than others? And what explains the variation in the effectiveness of different African states with regard to public goods delivery?

The Railpolitik uses three case studies of Chinese-financed and constructed rail projects to explore the broader phenomenon of the fast-progressing relations between China and Africa and to offer insights into African domestic politics. Contrary to the conventional understanding that centralized political institutions such as those in the developmental states are more conducive to rulers’ commitment to developmental projects, the book finds that political championship can be generated from leaders’ perceived threats of competitive elections in democratic states such as Kenya. These Chinese-financed and constructed projects coincided with African rulers’ strategies for political survival, and are therefore instrumentalized politically to demonstrate rulers’ performance legitimacy and to fuel their patronage machine.

Panelist

Speaker: Yuan Wang (Assistant Professor of International Relations, Duke Kunshan University）

Discussant: Wakiko Ohira (Assistant Professor, Center for Global Education and Discovery, Sophia University)

Moderator: Naosuke Mukoyama (Associate Professor of IFI, the University of Tokyo)

Despite their similarities, what accounts for the divergent paths of Chinese-funded and built projects in various African countries? In her book titled The Railpolitik: Leadership and Agency in Sino-African Infrastructure Development, Dr. Yuan Wang, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Duke Kunshan University, sheds light on the rapidly advancing relationship between China and Africa, as well as the political dynamics within African countries.
On March 14, 2025, the Security Studies Unit at the Institute for Future Initiatives hosted Dr. Wang for a keynote address on her book. Following her speech, Dr. Wang was joined in conversation by Dr. Wakiko Ohira, Assistant Professor at Sophia University, before taking questions from the audience. The session was moderated by Naosuke Mukoyama, Associate Professor from the Institute for Future Initiatives.

Keynote Presentation

Dr. Wang addressed the central question of her research by comparing the varied results of Chinese-funded and constructed railway projects in three African countries: Kenya (which has been largely successful), Ethiopia (which faced delays but is now operational), and Angola (which has experienced an 11-year construction delay and ongoing operational challenges). Unlike prior scholars, who tend to attribute the blame to Chinese agency and African bureaucratic capacity, Wang, who conducted extensive interviews during her fieldwork in Angola, China, Ethiopia, and Kenya, proposed that the focus should be on the role of African political leadership and domestic politics in shaping the outcomes of those infrastructure projects.
In her presentation, she used the two railway projects in Kenya and Ethiopia as examples to explain the importance of the political leadership of the African nations in driving Chinese-sponsored railway projects. According to Wang, “political champions,”—top leaders who possess the will and capability to push for these infrastructure projects—can navigate bureaucratic hurdles and ensure project delivery. In Kenya, its democratic system provided electoral incentives for political leaders to prioritize the railway project, while in Ethiopia, its centralized leadership initially facilitated rapid development of the railway project but later struggled with transitions and competing priorities.

Discussion and Q&A

Following Wang’s remarks, Dr. Ohira joined the conversation. Comparing Wang’s research to existing literature, including studies that explored the differences between Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and Western donors regarding their labor practices and the outcomes of their infrastructure projects in Africa, Ohira noted that Wang’s work provides a deeper understanding of the internal dynamics of Chinese-funded projects on the continent, especially concerning railway projects that are comparable in scale and complexity.
Ohira then raised three questions. First, she wondered how reliably the “political champions” theory can predict the success of major infrastructure projects, noting that such outcomes seem uncertain as they depend on the leader’s abilities and personality, as well as the local context and dynamics. She indicated that Chinese SOEs might struggle to navigate local politics and select suitable partners for large-scale infrastructure initiatives. Second, referencing Wang’s argument that the political commitment of African leaders differs between competitive and less competitive regimes, Ohira sought a more precise definition of democracy to better understand the conditions under which political champions can emerge to facilitate a mega infrastructure project. Finally, as an expert on the politics of Uganda—known as a semi-authoritarian state with an enduring government—Ohira expressed interest in knowing whether the absence of democracy in the country could still allow for the successful implementation of Chinese railway projects under the current leadership.
Following Wang’s brief responses, the floor was opened to questions from the audience. Wang addressed several topics, including the analysis of different types of Chinese-sponsored infrastructure projects in Africa, comparative studies of different foreign donors in Africa, and the impact of China’s bilateral relations with African countries on the outcomes of the infrastructure projects.