Afro-Asian comrades and the buttressing of political order

Afro-Asian relations have made a spectacular comeback in recent decades, but a focus on commercial ties overlooks the crucial endurance of policy emulation, deep partnerships between political parties and ideological influencing. From the standpoint of many African incumbents, Asian comrades are foremost important because they help strengthen state sovereignty vis-à-vis domestic populations and external actors, rather than weaken it, as Western donors have long prioritised.