China has been expanding its Belt and Road Initiative around the world, but they are also working on a new version of BRI that utilizes the Digital Space. The initiative was dubbed the Digital Silk Road Initiative. The Digital Silk Road Initiative, or DSRI, is already in motion across the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in North Africa. Chinese big tech companies like Huawei have been assisting North African countries in digitizing their economies to compete with First World countries. These can also lead to wonderful opportunities for North Africans since DSRI promises regional economic growth.

In this podcast, We are joined by Tin-Hinane El-Kadi, a political economy researcher, currently writing a Ph.D. thesis at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), looking at China's Digital Silk Road in North Africa.

They talked about China's Digital Silk Road Initiative and Huawei's role in setting it into action. They also discussed the impression of the Chinese in North Africa, as China begins to establish a political role in the region. They also discussed Chinese ventures that focus on leveraging the digital domain. Data Centers, AI or Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, and 5G Technologies are all examples. Finally, they discussed the future connection between China and North Africa.

Key Takeaways

The Overview of the Digital Silk Road Initiative of China
The Role of Huawei in the DSRI of China in North Africa
Huawei perceived by Other Countries as not a Commercial Company
Deep Chinese Presence in Countries in North Africa
What the North Africans thought of China and Their Presence in the Region
Significant Projects of Huawei and Other Chinese Tech Giants in the Region
Thoughts about the Relationship between China-North Africa

Quotes

I believe there is a disconnect between China's existing economic presence in the area and people's perceptions of China. - Tin-Hinane

Huawei was instrumental in the transition from 2G to 3G to 4G and, most likely, to 5G. It also plays a major role in the enterprise sector, interacting with businesses and setting up data centers, cloud computing, and cloud capacity. - Tin-Hinane

I believe that governments around the region see the BRI as a wonderful chance to develop infrastructure, attract investment, and generate jobs for the region's millions of unemployed. - Tin-Hinane

Featured in this Episode

Jonathan Fulton
Nonresident Senior Fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi

Profile: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/jonathan-fulton/
Linkedin: https://ae.linkedin.com/in/jona...

CHINA-MENA

Episodes

Chinese Tech in North Africa