African trading brokers in China

The internet, Covid‐19 and the transformation of low‐end globalization

Bibliographic Data

ID9399052
AuthorsG Mathews (0000-0002-9437-5246, Department of Anthropology The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shatin Hong Kong, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume35
Issue3
Pages491-504
Publication date2022-03-31
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of International Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0954-1748 • E-ISSN: 1099-1328
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/jid.3654
PMID35571227
OpenAlexW4220908417
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited30

African trading brokers in China buy knock-off or copy goods and move them through customs via bribery to African ports; this trade, although illegal, brings desired global products to Africa. This paper, based on interviews with African trading brokers, examines how the internet and Covid-19 have affected their trade. African customers can now find out the accurate prices of goods; computerized customs regimes make bribery difficult; and Covid-19 has raised shipping costs. While the informal economic arrangements of these trading brokers will probably continue despite policymakers' efforts to eradicate them, China may no longer be the source of their goods

Business · China · Commerce · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Economics · Globalization · International trade · Market economy · Political science · The Internet · China's Global Influence and Migration · Migration and Exile Studies · Migration, Racism, and Human Rights

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