Beyond ‘Dragon in the Bush’ : The Study of China-Africa Relations

In the wake of China's Year of Africa in 2006, China-Africa relations are currently the subject of unprecedented attention. However, although those relations are widely covered they are also under-researched. This article offers an introduction to China-Africa relations, covering background to the history and politics of Chinese involvement in the continent and identifying areas of further research. It concludes by calling for the study of China-Africa relations to develop a culture of serious research beyond current ‘dragon in the bush' preoccupations and so engage a complex subject that is about to become a mainstream issue in African politics