Implications of Sino-African Partnerships for Peasant Natural Resource Access, Ownership, and Utilization in Africa

The literature on China-Africa economic partnerships has blind spots in relation to implications of such partnerships for peasant livelihoods and accumulation. While the literature on China’s worth as Africa’s largest trading partner and foreign direct investment source abounds, such literature is lacking when it comes to exploring the implications of such partnerships on the natural resource (land, water bodies, forests) access, utilization, and ownership by the peasantry which relies on these resources both for accumulation and livelihoods. Using two case studies, namely, Uganda and Zimbabwe, and drawing on the theory of partnerships, this chapter closes this gap by (i) exploring the implications of Chinese investments on Africa peasant access to and utilization and ownership of natural resources and (ii) proposing solutions to asymmetrical power relations in economic partnerships. This chapter undertakes a critical document analysis of secondary literature obtained in both scholarly and gray literature which were selected using key terms such as Africa, China-Africa relations/partnerships, natural resources, and land.