POSTMODERN IMPERIALISM

China's top diplomat heads to Africa as West's attention dwindles

Joe Cash
Updated Mon, January 6, 2025 


World leaders attend United Nations "Summit of the Future" in New York

BEIJING (Reuters) -China's top diplomat began his annual New Year tour of Africa on Sunday, maintaining a 35-year-long tradition, to quietly advance Beijing's already sizeable influence across the resource-rich continent as Europe's presence wanes and America's wavers.

While global capitals and investors brace for the return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the White House, and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and domestic politics keep German and French ministers occupied, Foreign Minister Wang Yi being in Namibia, the Republic of Congo, Chad and Nigeria highlights the consistency of China's engagement with Africa, analysts say.

Wang's visit through to Saturday also comes as the world's No.2 economy ramps up its financial support for the debt-laden continent and looks to strike more critical minerals deals and find markets to absorb its exports.

"The decision on which countries to go to each year rarely follows any external logic," said Eric Orlander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project. "(But) it resonates in Africa as a reminder of China's consistent commitment to the continent, in contrast to the approaches of the U.S., United Kingdom and European Union."

"China firmly believes that Africa has never been a forgotten continent, but rather a source of vitality and a land full of development potential," Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, told a regular news conference on Monday.

As China's economy slows, Africa offers a much-needed avenue for its state-owned infrastructure firms struggling for projects as indebted local governments hold off on spending, and a market for its electric vehicles and solar panels, areas where the U.S. and EU say it has over-capacity.

Africa's 50-plus votes at the United Nations could also help advance Beijing's efforts to reshape multilateral institutions and reinterpret global norms so that they are more in line with its interests, particularly on issues such as human rights.

While current U.S. President Joe Biden's December trip to Angola was his only visit to sub-Saharan Africa in his presidency, China puts Africa at the front of its diplomatic calendar.

"China has become central to Africa's policy, as an actor and an inspiration," said Hannah Ryder, founder of Development Reimagined, an African-owned consultancy, referring to how candidates vying to chair the African Union Commission have talked up Beijing's ability to improve Africa's manufacturing capabilities and China's track record in mass education ahead of February's election. The commission is the secretariat of the 55-nation African Union.

SECURITY ISSUES

Wang's decision to visit the Republic of Congo, which this year takes over as co-chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that sets the agenda for China-Africa relations, also points to China's commitment to implementing the outcomes of last year's summit, Ryder said, where China pledged $51 billion in fresh financial assistance.

Beijing is also beginning to make its presence felt on pressing regional security issues, analysts say, which partly explains why Wang will travel to Chad.

France last month began the withdrawal of its military from the Central African country, after its government unexpectedly ended a defence cooperation pact that had made it a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region

"China has been a reliable and stable partner for the new military juntas in the Sahel and West Africa," Orland said.

"For the French and U.S., who see a dilution of Western power in the region, China's presence is seen as 'controversial,' but it's a very different view from African perspectives."

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Additional reporting by Ethan Wang; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)




China’s foreign minister begins Africa tour as Western influence wanes

Prashant Rao
Mon, January 6, 2025 


The News

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began a week-long tour of African nations as Beijing seeks to bolster ties to the continent.

Africa has become essential for China as the world’s second-largest economy ramps up investment in electric vehicles and green technology, both of which require metals and minerals often found on the continent. Beijing’s bid for control of these resources has sparked a contest with the US and the EU, which have also ramped up investment in the region.

However experts believe China has the advantage, in part because it maintains relations with autocratic regimes shunned by the West. “China has become central to Africa’s policy, as an actor and an inspiration,” an expert told Reuters.

Two chloropleth maps comparing African countries’ biggest trading partners in 2002 and 2022

SIGNALS

Beijing’s concerted outreach contrasts to Washington’s scattered approachSources: ODI Global, North Africa Post, Texas National Security Review, Foreign Affairs

Since 1950, Chinese foreign ministers have prioritized Africa for their first overseas trip of the calendar year, and Wang’s visit marks the 35th consecutive annual visit. The dedication marks a stark contrast to Washington’s less consistent approach, The Moroccan North Africa Post noted, with President Joe Biden making just one visit to sub-Sarahan Africa during his tenure. “The Biden administration says that Africa is a priority, but its actions suggest otherwise,” two security experts wrote. The incoming Trump administration, meanwhile, is likely to take a “singularly transactional approach,” an Africa expert argued in Foreign Affairs, which could make it harder for Washington to compete with China over the long term.

China’s economic slowdown could affect AfricaSources: South China Morning Post, Economist Intelligence Unit, Boston University, CNN, IMF

China’s economic woes could ripple through African countries, with Beijing providing fewer loans to the continent and taking a more hardball approach in debt-restructuring negotiations. Chinese loans to Africa have decreased since 2016, US-based researchers found, and Beijing has cut funding for the kinds of massive infrastructure projects it had previously financed in Africa in favor of so-called “small yet beautiful” investments that often have an environmental focus. China is also sub-Sarahan Africa’s biggest trading partner, which means even a 1% decline in China’s growth rate could in turn reduce growth in the region by 0.25%, according to an IMF analysis.
Beijing is ramping up its military presence in AfricaSources: Reuters, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Center for Naval Analyses

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Chad as part of his tour, where French troops began withdrawing last month; experts believe Wang is likely to discuss security issues with the country’s military leadership. “China has been a reliable and stable partner for the new military juntas in the Sahel and West Africa,” one expert told Reuters. Chinese troops have ramped up their presence in Africa in recent years, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, noting that the People’s Liberation Army’s largest overseas deployment is on the continent. Africa has become a “testing ground” for China’s military, a US-based analyst argued, allowing Beijing to prototype building up a military presence far beyond its own borders.

Namibia Seeks Investment in Nuclear Power From China

Kaula Nhongo
Mon, January 6, 2025 



(Bloomberg) -- Namibia, one of the world’s largest uranium producers, is seeking investment from China in nuclear power to boost its role in the global push to clean energy.

“We want to add value to our uranium for the peaceful development of nuclear energy,” President Nangolo Mbumba said Monday during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is on a week-long visit to Africa.

Yi’s visit reinforces China’s determination to win the geo-economic race against the US in Africa by offering better trade terms, more investment and military training. It also comes on the back of last year’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

In September, China General Nuclear Power Group formed a joint venture with NamWater to build a $3 billion Namibian dollar ($161 million) desalination plant that will supply water to uranium mines and surrounding areas.

Chinese companies already own Husab and Rossing in Namibia, the world’s No. 2 and No. 6 uranium mines and have invested in gold operations in the country.

The arid southwest African nation is also aiming to expand cooperation with China in emerging technologies, including smart cities, 5G, and digital platforms focused on urban security, crime prevention, and traffic management.

Namibia also wants to tap China’s growing outbound tourism market, and is seeking investment for the upgrade and construction of a new international airport.