Sport in East and Southeast Asian Societies Global China the Game Africa

This book provides a unique perspective on China’s engagement with Africa, examining the political, economic, social and cultural dimensions of the relationship through the lens of football. More than just a sport, the book shows how some of the most consequential issues in China–Africa relations play out through football. The story of China–Africa relations is one of the most important geopolitical and geoeconomic developments of the past two decades. This book uses the interaction between China and African countries in football to critically examine how engagement through football reproduces unequal outcomes but also positive developments on both sides. A multidisciplinary cast of China and Africa scholars demonstrate how political, economic, social and cultural issues play out through football, illuminating the motivations, processes and consequences of the evolving relationship between China and African countries. From nation states, corporations, institutions, clubs, players and fans, this book shows how the global game runs through Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Algeria, Egypt, Beijing, Guangzhou and the Chinese Northeast, with its ramifications for geopolitics, South–South relations, international sports governance, diplomacy, soft power, international media, labor migration and transnational fandoms.