ChinainAfrica

Dearest Readers:

I have arrived at that point in the academic year in which life becomes a monotonous routine of living in libraries, consuming amounts of coffee that likely exceed those recommended by the Surgeon General, and falling asleep in random places; this, to compensate for not sleeping proper amounts in an actual bed. Yes, dearest Readers, examination season is upon us.

In preparation for my final examinations - at the end of which I hope to officially claim my MPhil - ChinainAfrica will be on ‘academic leave’ until after 11 June. Please excuse my absence and do join me again on the other side of things. 

Until then,

Dear All:

A quick word of apology for my absence. I have been - and continue to be - in the thick of writing up my MPhil dissertation. It will be complete and submitted on 21 April and I look forward to resuming correspondence then. Writing up has been quite a journey, and has brought many new insights. I look forward to sharing them with you soon.

Cheers, Aleksandra (Alex) :) 

Regardless of when you celebrate the New Year, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a happy and prosperous 2008!

Thank you to all ChinainAfrica readers; I very much look forward to continuing our dialogue and to providing you with news, resources and insights on contemporary Sino-African relations.

Greetings and welcome to my blog! This is my first attempt at blogging, so do please bear with me as I feel my way around. I’m a second-year MPhil candidate at the University of Oxford and recent founder of the China-Africa Research Network at the University, which will officially be launched in late January 2008. I’ve been researching Sino-African relations for over a year and have decided to establish this blog to share with you my thoughts and insights (however primitive they may at times be!). I hope you find this blog both useful and informative. Please do share your thoughts and comments as you find fit.

Warmest wishes,

Aleksandra