China's Confucius Institute in Africa: a different story?

Abstract

PurposeChina's Confucius Institutes (CIs) have been under increasing scrutiny in the West while their development in Africa has been steady and strong. This article aims to examine the establishment, operation and effects of this institute in Africa, and discuss its role in a wider context of education, development and China's foreign policy towards Africa.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical research is a case study of China's Confucius Institutes in Africa. Fieldwork data was collected in China and seven CIs in four African countries.FindingsThis research found that the CIs were not just Chinese language and culture promotion organisations in Africa. Rather, they played a deeper and more profound role in training local individuals, involving them in different forms of Chinese presence in Africa and linking their own personal development with the rise of China. In that sense, this article argues that the CI plays a positive role in promoting China's soft power and national interest in Africa. This article also highlights the problems of the institute's operational mode, and casts doubt on some aspects of its future development.Originality/valueThis research systematically examines the establishment, operation and effects of the CIs in Africa, in an attempt to understand the real role of this institute in China's foreign policy towards Africa and demonstrate the uniqueness of the situation of the CIs in Africa.

Higher education beyond SDG 4: China’s scholarship provision in the Global South

“…teacher secondment) from China. CIs also work closely with local Chinese political bodies and business groups and act much more than its cultural role (Li, 2021). These studies focus on characterizing China’s position and intention, and the role of education is playing.…”

Rearticulating the promotion of Japanese language and culture from the perspective of “soft power”: planning and effects

“…Many previous studies have examined language promotion institutions in various countries, with particular focus on the Confucius Institutes in China, which are widely regarded as effective tools for China’s soft power construction ( Starr, 2009 ; Li, 2021 ). Most scholars have analyzed the role of these institutes in China’s public diplomacy policy and examined the influence of cultural and political factors on the construction of soft power, without giving sufficient attention to language education.…”

School Performance Evaluation of Chinese International Language Education Institutions

“…First, fund management situation mainly investigates the use of funds in Chinese international language education institutions [9], mainly including: (1) The timely availability rate of funds is to determine whether the funds have been delivered in a timely manner as planned. The formula is: annual actual investment/annual planned investment [10]; (2) Soundness of financial system to check whether there is a sound and detailed financial management system [11]; (3) Funds earmarking rate is determined by examining the degree of standardization in the use of special funds and whether they are fully used for designated activities as planned. The calculation formula is: actual usage of special funds/planned usage of special funds [12]; (4) Compliance and rationality of fund use is to inspect the standardized operation of budget funds, and comply with relevant financial management systems [13].…”

“…Second, project management situation mainly investigates the operation of Chinese international language education institutions [14], mainly including: (1) Standardization of project funding application is to examine whether the management department organizes project application, coaching, evaluation, and publicity to ensure the smooth implementation and progress of the project [10]; (2) Target achievement rate of project funding, the relationship between the expected number of projects achieved and the actual number of projects achieved, is calculated as follows: the actual number of project funding goals achieved/the planned number of project funding goals achieved [15]; (3) Compliance with the use of project funds is to inspect the standardized operation of project activity funds, and comply with relevant financial management systems [16].…”