More than 15,000 Africans, particularly from Egypt, Mali and the DRC, are estimated to live in the city, which forms part of the Pearl Delta Region – the largest urban area in the world in terms of size and population. Half a million Africans travel here each year to buy every imaginable ‘Made in China’ product, from air conditioners to fake Nike sneakers.
Dealmakers and dreamers started arriving in China as the country liberalized the economy in the mid-1990s, but the number grew in the 2000s as Beijing deepened its economic relations with Africa. China overtook the US as Africa’s largest trading partner nine years ago, and in 2018 President Xi Jinping pledged a further $60 billion in loans and investments.
