The objective of this paper is to discuss Africa's structural transformation, its food and employment challenges, in light of renewed dynamics, more particularly China's involvement in the continent's agricultural sector. Data is scarce and often very contradictory, but what becomes evident is that China's role in agriculture in Africa, and particularly related to the land grab phenomenon, is not as significant as initially put to the fore. China promotes an uncertain “aid, business, and trade” model where the “business and trade” components seem to increasingly take the lead and which are often disconnected from the characteristics of the African context. As such, the paper, besides highlighting the lasting importance of the rural sector for food security and poverty alleviation in a context of Africa's limited economic diversification, it suggests possible stronger Chinese contribution to the policy debate through experience sharing and dialogue within Africa and at the global level.