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The potential of corporate environmental responsibility of Chinese state-owned enterprises in Africa

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  • May Tan-Mullins
  • Giles Mohan

Abstract

Drawing upon empirical data collected in China and Africa, this article evaluates Chinese overseas corporate social responsibility strategies and their effectiveness in mitigating environmental impacts in parts of Africa. China’s enhanced role within the global economy has profound environmental implications for the world. In particular, China has rapidly expanded its environmental footprint in Africa, largely because of its burgeoning economic presence through trade and aid projects such as infrastructure and public works. These large-scale projects, commonly managed by state-owned enterprises (SOEs), tend to be in sectors that are environmentally sensitive such as oil and gas exploration and construction of major infrastructure. At the international level, global financial institutions along with growing pressure from civil society organizations are encouraging China to demonstrate a commitment to addressing the environmental impacts of its overseas projects. At the domestic level, growing awareness of such issues has generated an emerging trend of Chinese entities promoting and adopting corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. These moves seek to improve the environmental and social impacts of Chinese overseas investments. However, research has shown that the outcomes of Chinese overseas CSR strategies (particularly in environmental protection) vary widely due to the operating procedures of the Chinese SOEs in combination with specific local political and social structures. In general, environmental protection is weak and so there is a need for the Chinese and African governments to create a legislative and institutional framework to address Chinese investment in Africa especially in the area of natural resource extraction. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Suggested Citation

  • May Tan-Mullins & Giles Mohan, 2013. "The potential of corporate environmental responsibility of Chinese state-owned enterprises in Africa," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 265-284, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:15:y:2013:i:2:p:265-284
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-012-9409-x
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    2. Wegenast, Tim & Krauser, Mario & Strüver, Georg & Giesen, Juliane, 2019. "At Africa’s expense? Disaggregating the employment effects of Chinese mining operations in sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 39-51.
    3. Andreas Georg Scherer & Andreas Rasche & Guido Palazzo & André Spicer, 2016. "Managing for Political Corporate Social Responsibility: New Challenges and Directions for PCSR 2.0," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 273-298, May.
    4. Andrea Ascani & Simona Iammarino, 2020. "Is green always attractive? The location choices of Chinese outward FDI," Discussion Paper series in Regional Science & Economic Geography 2020-08, Gran Sasso Science Institute, Social Sciences, revised Nov 2020.
    5. Tao Zhou & Rui Ding & Yiming Du & Yilin Zhang & Shihui Cheng & Ting Zhang, 2022. "Study on the Coupling Coordination and Spatial Correlation Effect of Green Finance and High-Quality Economic Development—Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, March.
    6. Paul W. K. Yankson & Alex B. Asiedu & Kwadwo Owusu & Frauke Urban & Giuseppina Siciliano, 2018. "The livelihood challenges of resettled communities of the Bui dam project in Ghana and the role of Chinese dam†builders," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 36(S1), pages 476-494, March.
    7. Raquel Garde-Sanchez & María Victoria López-Pérez & Antonio M. López-Hernández, 2018. "Current Trends in Research on Social Responsibility in State-Owned Enterprises: A Review of the Literature from 2000 to 2017," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-21, July.

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