The Impact of Chinese Tech Provision on Civil Liberties in Africa

The document argues that while Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE aggressively market surveillance solutions (Safe City/Smart City) that can impinge on rights, there is little evidence that the Chinese government is imposing a specific authoritarian blueprint on African states. Instead, it finds that African governments often drive the demand for these technologies to strengthen their own power, and that the actual effectiveness of Chinese surveillance tech in reducing crime is often overestimated and fails to account for local socio-political complexities.

• There is little evidence that China is seeking to impose a specific authoritarian blueprint or 'Chinese model' of the Internet on African recipient countries through its ICT support.
• Official Chinese loans for ICT in Africa function primarily as diplomatic tools to strengthen relations with partners rather than as a hegemonic effort to export a specific conception of the information society.
• While the Chinese government remains subdued about exporting its model, Chinese corporate agents like Huawei and ZTE actively market the 'revolutionary potential' of their solutions to facilitate centralised control and policing.
• The deployment of 'Safe City' and 'Smart City' projects by Huawei and ZTE can expose individuals to surveillance that threatens rights of expression and association, particularly where regulatory frameworks are weak.
• Evidence suggests that the promised effectiveness of Chinese surveillance technology in reducing crime is often not realised when implemented in different socio-political contexts, as seen in Pakistan and Kenya.
• The case of Ethiopia demonstrates that African states exercise agency by sourcing surveillance capabilities from multiple global actors, including the US and Europe, rather than relying solely on China.

APA

GAGLIARDONE, I. (2020). The Impact of Chinese Tech Provision on Civil Liberties in Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Policy-Insights-99-gagliardone.pdf

Chicago

GAGLIARDONE, IGINIO. The Impact of Chinese Tech Provision on Civil Liberties in Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Policy-Insights-99-gagliardone.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=GAGLIARDONE |first1=IGINIO |title=The Impact of Chinese Tech Provision on Civil Liberties in Africa |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Policy-Insights-99-gagliardone.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gagliardone2020impact, author = {GAGLIARDONE, IGINIO}, title = {{The Impact of Chinese Tech Provision on Civil Liberties in Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Policy-Insights-99-gagliardone.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }