Relationship dossier
People's Republic of China
Sierra Leone
Relationship assessment
Long-standing development partnership, with concerns over fishing and major project financing
People's Republic of China toward Sierra Leone
+45China has provided Sierra Leone with development and infrastructure assistance and sent medical support during the Ebola epidemic. These actions form a substantive basis for bilateral cooperation.
Sierra Leone toward People's Republic of China
+40Sierra Leone has maintained diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China under its One China policy and has engaged in bilateral cooperation. The details and scope of that cooperation are not fully clear.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship is characterized by sustained diplomatic alignment and Chinese development and medical assistance, alongside concerns associated with Chinese fishing and the financing of major infrastructure projects. These features point to a substantive partnership without establishing an exceptionally close or unqualified relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
China and Sierra Leone maintain a long-standing partnership that includes Chinese infrastructure and development assistance and medical support during the Ebola epidemic. Sierra Leone has maintained diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China under its One China policy. The relationship also involves concerns over Chinese fishing and scrutiny of proposed Chinese-financed projects.
Areas of tension
- Concerns over Chinese fishing activity in Sierra Leonean waters.
- Debt and financial sustainability concerns surrounding proposed Chinese-financed infrastructure.
Key developments
China and Sierra Leone established diplomatic relations.
China provided medical support to Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic.
Sierra Leone's government canceled a proposed Chinese-financed international airport project amid concerns about its cost and debt implications.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and implementation of Chinese-backed development projects in Sierra Leone are unclear.
- The extent of Sierra Leone's practical cooperation with China beyond diplomatic alignment is uncertain.
- The scope of government action addressing concerns about Chinese fishing is unclear.