Western critics of the China-Africa relationship are often guilty of superficial research and a lack of objectivity, according to a leading South African academic.

Garth Shelton, a professor of international relations at the University of Witswatersrand in Johannesburg, said many use terms such as "neo-colonial" without thinking.

"It is often based on a lack of research. There are a lot of academics who subscribe to the idea the China-Africa relationship has negative consequences," he said.