When China Met Africa (2010)

A Fascinating Documentary that Raises Significant Questions on the Global Balance of Power

When China Met Africa is a documentary by Nick Francis and Marc Francis and set on the front line of Chinaʼs foray into Africa. It follows the lives of a Chinese farmer, a road builder, and the Zambian trade minister. An historic gathering of over fifty African heads of state in Beijing reverberates in Zambia where the lives of three characters unfold. Mr Liu is one of thousands of Chinese entrepreneurs who have settled in Africa in search of new opportunities. He has just bought his fourth farm and business is booming. In northern Zambia, Mr Li, a project manager for a multinational Chinese company, is upgrading Zambia's longest road. Pressure to complete the road on time intensifies when funds from the Zambian government begin to dry up. Meanwhile, Zambia's Trade Minister is on route to China to secure millions of dollars of investment. Through the intimate portrayal of these characters, the expanding footprint of a rising global power is laid bare - pointing to a radically different future, not just for Africa, but also for the world. It is characterized as an eye-opening documentary that unflinchingly depicts that China is a new economic superpower. The Times described it as 'a rare, grass-roots view into one of the most important economic developments of the age'.