China-Africa Engagement Index

The China-Africa Engagement Index (CAEI) is a comprehensive, longitudinal dataset designed to measure the depth and nature of China’s economic engagement with African countries from 2003 to 2022. It consolidates key indicators of bilateral economic activity between China and each African country into a structured format, offering annual data across multiple dimensions. The full database can be downloaded here: CAEI Database.

Core Variables:

• Exports (to Africa): China's annual exports to each African country (in USD millions).

• Imports (from Africa): China's annual imports from each African country (in USD millions).

• FDI Flows: Annual Chinese foreign direct investment into each African country (in USD millions).

Derived Indicators:

• Normalized Scores (0–1 scale):

  • Exports Norm

  • Imports Norm

  • FDI Norm

• Composite Indices:

  • Equal Weight Index: Sum of normalized export, import, and FDI scores.

  • 40/40/20 Index: Weighted summed index giving 40% weight to exports, 40% to imports, and 20% to FDI.

Per Capita Metrics:

• Per Capita Exports / Imports / FDI

• Normalized Per Capita Scores

• Per Cap Equal Index and Per Cap 40/40/20 Index (constructed similarly using normalized per capita scores)