http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2480-3708
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ABSTRACT
Existing studies have fixated on the macroeconomic implications of Chinese engagements with Africa with relatively less attention to micro-level exchanges and the attendant social consequences. This paper captures the nuances of everyday dispositions and attitudes of Ghanaian traders toward Chinese entrepreneurial migrants relative to ‘older and larger’ immigrant trading groups (notably Indians, Lebanese and Nigerians). The study elicited data from local traders and key informants from trade unions, public institutions and academia. The findings indicate that Chinese merchants often had ‘aggressive’ and ‘overly competitive’ business style compared to other migrants and indigenes. Accordingly, several seemingly unresolvable underlying tensions ensued between the Chinese and other traders. It was evident that contextual elements such as trust and sense of fairness shaped the attitudes and degree of cordiality between the trading groups. Going forward, it will be prudent to focus not only on the legal and political ramifications of Chinese migratory flows but also develop measures to integrate the Chinese in African environment socially.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
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Notes on contributors
Kwaku Opoku Dankwah
Kwaku Opoku Dankwah is a PhD candidate at the Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Adelaide, South Australia. He obtained his MSc (Globalization) and BA (Political Science) from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway) and the University of Ghana (Ghana) respectively. His research interests span across Africa-China relations to international relations and migration.
Padmore Adusei Amoah
Padmore Adusei Amoah, is an Assistant Professor (Research) at Lingnan University, Hong Kong, where he also obtained his PhD (Social Policy) from Department of Sociology and Social Policy. He received his MPhil (Development Studies) from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway), and BSc (Development Planning) from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana). His current research interests comprise comparative social policy, social and health-related inequalities, social epidemiology and health promotion among youth, the elderly and general populations. Padmore embraces both qualitative and quantitative research methods.