Ethiopian Tesfahun Tsehaye was one of the 15 university students who have participated in the recently held 16th edition of Chinese Proficiency Competition, dubbed Chinese Bridge, in Addis Ababa, capital of the Ethiopia. Winning the contest held at country-level with second highest score, the electrical engineering student highlighted the strong China-Africa relations, particularly with the ever-growing Chinese investment on the African continent.

Philibert Browne, editor of Liberia’s Hot Pepper newspaper, says China is winning admiration. In Liberia, it has built roads — ones of not obviously inferior quality — and a spanking new campus at the University of Liberia, replete with friendship tower and Chinese-style gate. “You can see what they are spending their money on but you can’t see what the Americans are spending on,” Mr Browne says. “You don’t put capacity building on your meal table. Slowly but surely, the Chinese are winning in Africa.”

China’s increasing involvement in Africa has captured considerable attention from policymakers and academics. Formalized in a 2006 policy statement, “China’s Africa Policy,” Beijing’s interest in the region translates into Chinese government and government-affiliated institutions investing billions of dollars in large-scale construction projects across the continent.