Chinese Economic and Trade Co-operation Zones in Africa: The Case of Mauritius

The paper examines the JinFei ETCZ in Mauritius as an anomaly in China's African investment strategy, which usually targets large markets or resource-rich countries. It argues that the project was realized through the proactive agency of the Mauritian government, which leveraged its stable 'soft infrastructure' and strategic location to position the island as a business platform between Asia and Africa. Despite initial delays due to land disputes and the 2008 financial crisis, the project was rescued by high-level Chinese political intervention and the entry of large state-owned enterprises from Shanxi Province, shifting the zone's focus from light manufacturing to services, real estate, and logistics.

• Chinese Economic and Trade Co-operation Zones (ETCZs) in Africa generally follow a pattern of targeting resource-rich countries or large markets to secure natural resources and explore untapped consumer potential. Examples include Zambia (copper), and Nigeria, Egypt, and Algeria (crude oil).
• The JinFei ETCZ in Mauritius is an exception to the typical Chinese investment logic because Mauritius lacks natural resources and has a small population of 1.3 million. Despite this, it attracted the largest expected investment among sub-Saharan ETCZs at $750 million.
• The Mauritian government secured the ETCZ by emphasizing its 'soft infrastructure'—including political stability, the rule of law, and transparency—and its strategic role as a gateway to the Southern African Development Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.
• The project evolved from the 'Tianli project' to the 'JinFei ETCZ' after the 2008 financial crisis and land relocation delays. It was rescued following President Hu Jintao's 2009 visit, leading to the entry of two large Shanxi Province state-owned enterprises: Taiyuan Iron & Steel Company (TISCO) and Shanxi Coking Coal Group.
• The JinFei ETCZ shifted its target sectors from light manufacturing and trading to a more diversified, services-oriented model including real estate, hospitality, knowledge hubs, and logistics to align with Mauritius's goal of becoming a business platform between Asia and Africa.
• The establishment of the zone suggests that China's motivations in Africa can extend beyond immediate economic profit to include geopolitical goals, such as gaining a strategic foothold in the Indian Ocean.

APA

Alves, A. C. (2011). Chinese Economic and Trade Co-operation Zones in Africa: The Case of Mauritius. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-74.pdf

Chicago

Alves, Ana Cristina. Chinese Economic and Trade Co-operation Zones in Africa: The Case of Mauritius. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2011. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-74.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alves |first1=Ana Cristina |title=Chinese Economic and Trade Co-operation Zones in Africa: The Case of Mauritius |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-74.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alves2011chinese, author = {Alves, Ana Cristina}, title = {{Chinese Economic and Trade Co-operation Zones in Africa: The Case of Mauritius}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Occasional-Paper-74.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }