[grecy]

I just spent three years driving around Africa. I visited 35 different countries all around the continent. [1]

The Chiense influence is staggering. I'm writing a book about it now. Many, many parts of Africa are developing faster than any of us can comprehend, because we've never seen it.

In the last ~20 years cities like LA and Vancouver have gotten bigger, but they're more or less what they were - there were skyscrapers, electricity, water, freeways etc. Now it's just a bit bigger.

There are hundreds of cities in Africa that have gone from dirt streets to modern city with skyscrapers, 4G internet, subways (or above ground rail), running water end electricity, etc. in just 10 years.

It boggles the mind

[1] http://theroadchoseme.com/africa-expedition-overview & http://instagram.com/theroadchoseme

[9nGQluzmnq3M]

> hundreds of cities with subways

No, there aren't. There is exactly one (1) city in sub-Saharan Africa with a modern urban rail system, and it's Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the rest of the continent's megacities (Nairobi, Lagos, etc) decent urban transit remains a dream. China has funded a bunch of long-distance rail, but that's primarily for trade (read: exporting raw materials).

But I still tip my pith helmet at you for crossing the DRC by Jeep!

[_djo_]

While it's not surface light rail, I'd argue that the Gautrain in Johannesburg & Tshwane counts as a modern urban rail system, especially as it incorporates substantial subway sections.

[grecy]

Sorry, you're right, there aren't that many subways, but I stand by everything else I said

[droithomme]

China is the African continent's largest trading partner.

Worth noting is that China's been trading with Africa since at least 200 BCE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa%E2%80%93China_relations

[dustingetz]

so who owns all that brand new infrastructure - China?

[grecy]

Depends on the deal the government of whatever country made with China. In many cases China build tons of stuff (bridges, highways, rail, hydro plants, etc. etc.) and give them to the country typically in exchange for super cheap mineral rights. So then you come across immense swaths of forest that have been decimated, with all the timber being shipped to china. Same goes for monster mines all over the place.

In the case of Mozambique they gave away fishing rights to China.