Thriving markets in some African countries are providing abundant business opportunities, prompting a large influx of Chinese businesspeople. However, even though the Chinese play an increasingly important role in those countries, it seems that many of them share the feeling that their popularity amongst locals is drastically declining.

Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Lu Youqing said that the first Chinese originally came to Tanzania for business purposes as early as the 1970s. Now that number of Chinese expats has risen to roughly 30,000. China-made products, ranging from electric appliances to daily household commodities, are dominating the local markets, he said.

"Chinese businesspeople have made indispensable contributions to the economic development of Tanzania. Not only do they provide inexpensive quality products to the local people, but they also boost the cultural exchanges between China and Africa," the ambassador said.

Zhu Jinfeng, president of the Chinese Business Chamber of Tanzania, an unofficial organization, noted that it were the Chinese who lent a hand in establishing the Kariakoo market as the country's major trade hub, with Chinese running 50 percent of the businesses and China-made products accounting for 80 percent of the goods sold there.

Nevertheless, there is a shared concern that their growing presence has created a bad overall image of Chinese people.

Lu Youqing continued to give some more explanation regarding the abovementioned. The ambassador said that Chinese businesspeople like to seek small economic gains through unfair means, which only damages their reputation. The fake shabby goods these people sell have greatly affected their image – and not for the better. As a result, locals often associate Chinese products with poor quality. In addition, those businesspeople might from time to time engage in illegal activities such as tax evasion. Meanwhile, the ignorance and disrespect they often show towards religion make the religious locals think less of them.

Zhu Jinfeng expressed the same concerns, noting that some illegal activities and poor quality commodities have left the Chinese with a bad reputation. He also said that bereft of any in-depth understanding of the local market, some Chinese companies spend lavishly, only with the aim to raise local food and housing prices.

Zhu said that the new generation of Chinese businesspeople also like to show off their wealth and sometimes have bad manners, causing irritation among the locals. For instance, a Chinese man once started firing off his gun after getting drunk in a restaurant.

For all these reasons, self-discipline is key. And that is exactly where the Chinese Business Chamber of Tanzania led by Zhu comes into play. The organization, now comprising more than 1,000 members, aims to act as a supervisory or disciplinary organ within the Chinese community and monitors the market. They set the standards for imports and stop the Chinese from selling fake goods. The organization does not only guide newcomers in the process of setting up business in Tanzania, but also tells them how to show their respect for the locals, Zhu explained.

Nowadays, the general quality of the products that Chinese are selling has already improved a lot, Zhu said. But he did point out that now the locals themselves are importing and selling cheap and shabby goods from China.

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