Safe and Smart Cities THE“SAFE AND SMART CITY” TO AFRICA Exporting smart cities to Africa has been an ambition of the Chinese government for a number of years. In 2015, the Chinese government began to speak of a Digital Silk Road as an adjunct to the Belt and Road Initiative that should fo­cus on internet connectivity, artificial intelligence, the digi­tal economy, telecommunications, smart cities, and cloud computing. 253 Subsequently, at the FOCAC summit in Jo­hannesburg in December 2015, China announced that it will: help African countries to build“Smart Cities”, and en­hance the roles of information and communication tech­nology in safeguarding social security, and fighting against terrorism and crime. 254 253 urasia Group(2020). The Digital Silk Road: Expanding China’s Digital Footprint, 8 April. 254 of Foreign Affairs(2015). The Forum on China-Africa Cooper­ation Johannesburg Action Plan(2016–2018), 10 December. https:// www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/2649_665393/201512/ t20151210_679430.html The same theme was reiterated at the 2018 FOCAC sum­mit. During a special Coronavirus-focused China-Africa summit in June 2020, smart cities, along with clean ener­gy, 5G, and the digital economy were mentioned as areas where cooperation should be deepened. 255 As of 2021, “smart city” and surveillance projects accounted for al­most 50 per cent of Chinese tech-firm activities in Africa (Figure 5). 256 To support the development of“Smart City” projects in Af­rica, Huawei was reported in 2018 to have set up a USD 1.5 billion fund to“improve urban traffic and air quality, promote energy efficiency in buildings, improve the man­255 R.(2021). China’s Evolving Role in Africa’s Digitalisation: From Building Infrastructure to Shaping Ecosystems. Italian Institute for International Political Studies, 26 July. https://www.ispionline.it/ en/publication/chinas-evolving-role-africas-digitalisation-building-in­frastructure-shaping-ecosystems-31247 256 X. et al.(2022). China’s Engagement in Africa: Activities, Ef­fects and Trends’. CGS Global Fokus, June, 32–33. https://www.cgs­bonn.de/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CGS-China_Africa_ Study-2022.pdf Figure 5 Chinese tech activities in Africa according to sector ePayments Artificial intelligence Biotech 4% 4% 10% 30% Smart cities 5G 12% 13% Cloud Source: Mayer(2022) based on Australian Strategic Policy Institute 27% Surveillance 45