Despite always being identified as "black" and "African", I never felt discriminated against or antagonized, but rather treated with warmth and friendliness. Because I spoke Mandarin, I could often understand what people said about me, and they were rarely disparaging or maligning (Baitie, 2013).  
Other practical reasons are lower tuition fees, ease of obtaining visas compared to the West, and the convenience of finding good jobs in companies like Huawei and ZTE in Africa if they have some knowledge of China.