Afro–Asian relations offer an intriguing context for scholarly investigation, in particular because of new dynamics that stem from historic ties, ongoing projects, and expanding partnerships between Asian and African actors in the international arena. In the broader framework of the global South and the global North, South–(Far) East relations have recently become dominant, if not superseding the former North–South dichotomy. As a natural consequence, therefore, the scholarly literature has grown at a tremendous pace with works providing either overviews or case studies of Afro–Asian cooperation. These two volumes contribute to that literature, albeit in markedly different ways. Although Jean Kachiga’s book, with its simple title, may not draw as much attention as Ali Mazrui and Seifudein Adem’s provocative title, its handbook-like structure will offer many readers useful insights into China’s Africa policy. The unconventional approach of Afrasia, on the other hand, with its dramatic tale “about the mating of two continents across centuries of interaction and historical change” (ix), may create more perplexities than it resolves.

Maybe the most striking similarity between Kachiga’s work and Mazrui–Adem’s is the obvious structural imbalance among the chapters in each volume. Kachiga presents his arguments in fourteen chapters which vary a lot in length; chapter 10, for example, is only four and a half pages and there is a two-page conclusion. This problem, however, is more visible in the latter book, which consists of twenty-one chapters, roughly half of which were written by each author. These vary even more in length as well as content, from the extended discussion by Adem of Japan’s cultural experience and its possible relevance for Africa’s development (chapter 18) to short essays like Mazrui’s brief chapter on the Arab Spring and female empowerment. A firm introduction about the authors’ aims and the structure of the book would have been helpful, but their intentions are never made clear. In its final form Afrasia feels like a draft manuscript, and the promised narrative about the “drama of African–Asian relations in all [their] complexity” (viii) seems to be a tale that is still in the planning phase: different scenes come flashing up, but the story of the actors, their interactions, and the resulting consequences is not coherent.

In China in Africa: Articulating China’s Africa Policy Kachiga has not only built upon previous fundamental scholarship, but also extended the horizon by exploring new aspects of several historic junctions of Sino–African relations. Egypt’s role as the “stepping stone into Africa” for a “diplomatically isolated China in a quest for international recognition” (31) proved vital in building up China’s future presence in the continent. Another obvious motivation for China was its rising demand for natural resources from the 1970s onward, which “coincided with the rising status of Africa as a producer of non-mineral raw materials (gas and oil)” (47). But have there been other drives and aims beyond this evident energy-security dimension leading China to intensify its engagements with Africa? As Kachiga suggests, both African and Chinese foreign policies meet “in the arena of diplomacy where each . . . seeks to secure its utmost preferable outcome” (51); his argument underscores the notion of partnership and mutual benefit that informs the attitudes of both parties. As a result, China’s Africa policy—what Kachiga explains as “The Chinese Way” (chapter 6)— is a pragmatic strategy reflecting its own interests, but with a moral face that pretends to understand the other’s interests as well.

“The Chinese Way” is China’s unique approach to penetrating all walks of life on the continent. After elaborating on the peculiar features of Chinese business management—including trade, investment, and market strategies—Kachiga presents the cases of Nigeria, Sudan, Angola, Zimbabwe, and South Africa (chapter 7), each country illustrating “the nature, motivation, and implications of China’s strategy” (97). China’s Africa policy contributes not only to China’s energy security, but also to creating a “good image,” inspiring “sympathy,” and achieving “access,” all of which “are political capital and indeed can be translated into real currency” (191). Apart from the growing numbers of Confucius Institutes, public health initiatives, and Chinese tourists drawn to the expanding circle of African countries obtaining approved destination status (ADS), one should not forget about the power of the “intangibles” (206). Chinese nationals working in the business sector regularly receive compliments from Africans about how well they run their shops or manage their businesses. Kachiga explains that many of these expatriate workers “come from humble social backgrounds and do not demand luxury,” and their behavior supports China’s claim that “it identifies with African poverty as a developing nation.” In this way Chinese progress “should be seen as an encouraging sign for Africans that there as well things will improve” (206).

Although China has been uniquely successful in communicating its goals of equality and partnership, mutual benefits, and noninterference to Africans, Kachiga seems unduly harsh and possibly inaccurate when he states that the West, in contrast, “has ceased to engage Africa as an equal partner but considers it only a so-called humanitarian basket case” (223). Certain the African engagements of emerging economies have made the West rethink and reformulate its own commitments, missions, duties, and opportunities in Africa, and these involve far more than “just humanitarian” involvement. Kachiga is undoubtedly correct, however, in his final observation that in a dynamically changing global setting, it is “still [too] early to . . . formulate . . . a conclusive judgment about China’s approach to dealing with Africa” (267).

In a volume of over four hundred pages Afrasia: A Tale of Two Continents offers many interesting questions to ponder. The chapters are glimpses, reflections, and in some cases lengthy discussions on many issues, covering, for instance, Africa in Japanese diplomatic thought (chapter 6), Sino-optimism in Ethiopia (chapter 7), the influences of John Locke and Mahatma Gandhi in African resistance (chapter 8), Africa and India as mothers of diasporas (chapter 14), and Afro-optimism from Mahatma Gandhi to Barack Obama (chapter 16). When introducing the latter topic, Mazrui defines Afro-optimism as “a strong readiness to give Africa the benefit of the doubt” (288), a position that stands in counterpoint to the familiar concept of Afro-pessimism. But perhaps instead, as Mo Ibrahim proposed recently (www.cnn.com/2014), we should all be Afro-realists: looking for “sound policies based on honest data, aimed at delivering results.” Surely in an era of positive developments and growing potentials but still abundant obstacles and crises in the continent, the truth lies somewhere in between optimism and pessimism. It is necessary to remain realistically cautious, while watching all the promising developments. What is needed is a balanced approach of clear and sound scholarly investigation, analysis, and discussion as opposed to prophecies and speculations. Unfortunately, Afrasia offers too much of the latter, with elevated rhetoric such as “Does Obama stand a chance of embodying Gandhian ‘soul force?’” and the concluding affirmation, “Amen!” (300).

The authors do acknowledge that “the real story [of Africa and Asia] may be somewhat more complicated” than just a simplistic reading of political and economic linkages (1), but the dynamic realm of Afro–Asian relations is more complex than Afrasia shows in bits and pieces. It is not only about Sino–African relations, or Japanese–African connections, but about many more nations and interactions. Although India, too, is present in the book, how can this Tale of Two Continents not cover Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand—to name a few—and their stories, policies, and recent engagements with Africa? All these are important parts of the “interactions and historical change” (ix) involving the two continents.

Nevertheless, both China in Africa: Articulating China’s Africa Policy and Afrasia: A Tale of Two Continents contain sufficient thoughts, arguments, and references for further investigation of the layered complexities of Afro–Asian relations. Both certainly will generate debates and induce more critical research.