Strings attached: China’s narrative influence in Sub-Saharan Africa

Drawing on extensive research conducted by Hybrid CoE between 2021 and 2024 in close cooperation with the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, this Hybrid CoE Research Report meticulously maps the extent of China’s narrative influence in Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyzes China’s policy of “narrative warfare” against Euro-Atlantic interests in Africa and how this is pursued through the co-optation of local elites, the creation of economic dependencies, and control of media and technology infrastructure, among other means. The authors highlight how these activities contribute to the undermining of democratic processes and the proliferation of anti-Western sentiments in Sub-Saharan Africa.