Chinese companies’ corporate social responsibility in the eyes of local communities in Kenya: A public diplomacy approach

Main Article Content

Cliff Mboya

Abstract




This paper examines the role of Chinese companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to assess their impacts and effectiveness in enhancing China’s public diplomacy in Kenya. It finds that Chinese companies in Kenya have become essential stakeholders in China’s public diplomacy. They actively engage in CSR activities to project a more favourable image and a better perception of China. The article argues that after years of extensive outreach through CSR, Chinese companies enjoy support from relatively large sections of local communities, and projects are being implemented with little resistance.




Article Details

How to Cite
Mboya, C. (2023). Chinese companies’ corporate social responsibility in the eyes of local communities in Kenya: A public diplomacy approach. The Africa Governance Papers, 1(3). Retrieved from https://tagp.gga.org/index.php/system/article/view/39
Section
Research Articles
Author Biography

Cliff Mboya

Dr Cliff Mboya is an Africa-China analyst and international relations practitioner, specialising in Chinese diplomacy in Africa. He is a research fellow at the Afro- Sino-Centre of International Relations and a research associate at the African Centre for the Study of the United States. He has worked as the Africa editor and consultant for the China-Africa project and as a public affairs officer at the Chinese embassy in Kenya. His most recent academic works include the journal article Kenya’s digital diplomacy amid COVID-19: New tools in an old toolbox? in the South African Journal of International Affairs and a book chapter, Connecting and Disconnecting Africa: The Maritime Silk Road Initiative’s Conflicting Effects on Eastern Africa in China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Africa, and the Middle East: Feats, Freezes and Failures.

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