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Jevans Nyabiage

Chinese firms not only operate, finance or hold stakes in about one third of all ports in Africa, but Beijing now also controls the software, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) tools that run the infrastructure.
And that reach extends well beyond the docks, with Beijing financing and operating the road, rail and warehousing networks connected to these ports and other maritime projects across the continent, closely intertwining African trade with China’s own trading systems.
These are the findings of a study released last month by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, which concludes that China has established shipping corridors linking African port clusters to Chinese hub cities such as Qingdao and Yantai in Shandong province, reflecting Africa’s deepening integration into China-centred maritime networks.
According to the report, Chinese maritime influence spans key routes including the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea and Cape of Good Hope – vital corridors for its energy imports and other seaborne trade that together carry about US$350 billion in annual commerce.

Much of this activity stems from Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013 to connect China to world markets via improved land and sea routes. Since then, China has invested an estimated US$50 billion in African port infrastructure, according to the centre’s research. China–Africa trade rose by nearly 18 per cent in 2025, Chinese customs data show.
The study found that China’s maritime engagement was driven by a mix of economic, technological and geopolitical objectives.
“Securing African maritime trade routes is essential for China’s global geopolitical strategy,” said Paul Nantulya, a China-Africa expert and research associate at the centre. He added that Africa’s resource wealth remained central to its long-term access to oil, gas, minerals and agricultural commodities.
Through its port investments, merchant fleet, state-owned firms and policy banks, China has become deeply embedded in African maritime activity. These systems – spanning port software, automation, AI, cybersecurity and maritime governance – attract African governments with offers of financing, customs coordination and modernisation.
Although Western firms like Kaleris (Navis) and Siemens have long led in traditional port software and automation, China is challenging their hold. Companies like Huawei sell all-in-one alternatives, supplying African docks with 5G networks, automated gates and equipment software to replace older Western set-ups.
According to a 2022 report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Beijing links these tools with Logink, the Chinese state-backed logistics data platform, and maritime training to offer a financed package for customs and port upgrades that Western rivals cannot match.

Nantulya warns, however, that these deals often come with hidden costs.
“At times, these arrangements result in African exposure to unsustainable debt,” he said.
Concerns also persist, according to Nantulya, around Chinese firms gaining long-term influence through equity participation or management agreements, particularly given the “lack of public access to agreements and weak oversight”.
China also competes to export maritime technologies, including dredging systems, smart-port infrastructure, logistics platforms and surveillance tools. More than 30 African countries now use the BeiDou satellite navigation system for primary maritime navigation, often alongside or instead of American GPS, according to the report.
Under the belt and road, many African ports have modernised their operations by installing proprietary Chinese automation and AI systems such as sensor perception, smart gates and autonomous driving.
John Calabrese of the Middle East Institute said that by controlling software and automation, Chinese firms “effectively remain indispensable long after construction ends”, creating long-term commercial and political leverage.

He said these systems also generate valuable trade and logistics data while encouraging host countries to adopt Chinese technical standards, making future procurement more likely to favour Chinese companies.
“In effect, Beijing is turning one-off infrastructure projects into an enduring web of interaction,” Calabrese said.
Nantulya notes that China is also driven by strategic geography, citing the Chinese-financed Doraleh Multipurpose Port in Djibouti, where China Merchants Group holds a 23.5 per cent stake.
Located on the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the port sits next to the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone and close to the People’s Liberation Army Support Base.
David Shinn, a China-Africa expert and professor at George Washington University, said that while most Chinese-financed projects were driven by a profit motive, they concurrently “offer strategic advantages for Chinese commercial shipping and access for the PLA Navy”.
Beyond port construction, Shinn said many of these initiatives were linked to Chinese-financed pipelines, inland transport infrastructure for the export of critical minerals, and the development of underwater cables. “Djibouti is a special case,” Shinn said, adding that China also constructed the country’s commercial port, and financed and built the railroad from Djibouti to Addis Ababa.
Shinn said the PLA Navy had maintained a continuous anti-piracy task force in the Gulf of Aden since 2008, relying on the Djibouti facility for support. He added that it had also expanded its deployments across the region, with more frequent calls at other strategic ports.


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China’s influence on African ports extends to software, automation and AI: study

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The Cape of Good Hope, near Cape Town, South Africa, is one of the strategic maritime corridors that Chinese shipping routes rely on for energy imports and seaborne trade to the continent. Photo: Getty Images

Containers are stacked at Yantai port’s international terminal in eastern China’s Shandong province, a key part of the infrastructure driving China’s growing trade with Africa and beyond. Photo: Xinhua

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Residents and the media at the Cultural Centre observation deck in Tsim Sha Tsui capturing shots of the approaching PLA vessels. Photo: Jelly Tse

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PLA Navy officers wave from the guided-missile frigate Hengyang. Photo: Elson Li

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China

Diplomacy

The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies says Chinese firms are deeply embedded across the continent’s maritime networks


The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies says Chinese firms are deeply embedded across the continent’s maritime networks.


China’s influence on African ports extends to software, automation and AI: study

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies says Chinese firms are deeply embedded across the continent’s maritime networks

The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies says Chinese firms are deeply embedded across the continent’s maritime networks