External perceptions of the EU’s and China’s solidarity among African citizens: insights from survey research

Amid rising geopolitical tensions, European and Chinese policymakers frame China–EU engagement in Africa as a contest between different types of external partnerships. Both actors portray themselves as economic partners who engage with African countries to promote “win-win partnerships” while extending solidarity. In addition, the EU emphasises its normative approach to cooperation that combines economic cooperation with support for democracy and human rights, whereas China presents itself as a unique example of economic modernization without political liberalisation. Yet, whether this elite discourse resonates with African citizens, whether citizens identify these differences between the EU’s and China’s approaches to cooperation and whether they view these different approaches to cooperation as competing or complementary is up for debate. We use insights from a survey experiment in Nigeria, combined with representative public opinion telephone surveys in seven African countries to provide first insights in answering those questions.