While much has been published on China's rising role in Africa, relatively little has been published thus far on India's role in the continent and less again from a comparative perspective on the respective roles of these two ‘Asian Driver’ economies. This book undertakes some of this analysis with seventeen chapters, some of which are comparative, while others focus on India and China's roles individually. The book covers a range of sectors from oil to manufacturing, and explores the impacts of these rising powers on Africa's international relations.

Much of the ground covered in the book will be familiar to readers of this literature. However, there are a couple of things, in addition to the more comparative perspective, which make this book distinctive and noteworthy. Several of the chapters are based on fieldwork or other primary data. The methods range from life histories to one economic chapter which uses complex (for non-economists) equations. Many interesting insights derive from these multiple methods. For example it is revealed in interviews that Chinese officials are not, in theory, opposed to discussing greater regulation of Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa, but that African government officials do not raise this discussion. Perhaps African government officials have been habituated through the decades to the liberal economic policies imposed the World Bank and International Monetary Fund?

Given the diversity of topics covered, it is not possible to detail the contributions of each of the individual chapters. However, certain of them are particularly noteworthy to this reviewer's mind. The chapter by Axelsson and Sylvanus focuses on women traders in Accra and Lomé, and displays a rich understanding of the regional history and context, in addition to developing the concept of the entrepôt state. The contributors also show how local entrepreneurs are able to draw on particular nationalist registers to advance their own competitive advantage.

It is often noted that while China has an Africa strategy, published in 2006, Africa does not have a China strategy. The final chapter by Cheru and Calais examines whether the New Partnership for Africa's Development can be transformed, away from its initially neoliberal impetus, to serve as a platform for coordinated and strategic engagement with China. The authors posit the European Commission as potential model. This is precisely the type of thinking which is needed to advance an agenda which seeks to take developmental advantage of the current conjuncture, although some might question the commitment, beyond rhetoric, which many current African elites might bring to the task.

This book will not revolutionise the study of Asia–Africa relations, but it does represent an incremental advance in the field for the reasons noted above. The book also contains many interesting facts, such as that India announced the establishment of its own International Development Cooperation Agency in 2007. For this and other reasons all those who are interested in the growing engagement between India, China and Africa should have this book on their shelves.