Chris Alden

There are times of spectacular policy myopia—and promoting a revision to the Meat Safety Act by the South African government is surely one of these moments.

The complex relationship between Africa and China has become even more complicated this year. Initially, 2018 was set to reaffirm the bond through the latest Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit held in Beijing in September. The summit delivered its usual pageant of African leaders, side deals, and the announcement of a $60 billion financing package. The year also saw the recurrence of misgivings about the relationship.