African leaders and the Chinese leader Xi Jinping
China has quietly taken over Africa by using loans as bait.
Between 2000 and 2023, the Chinese government committed to lending $182.28
billion to African governments as it rapidly established projects on the continent. China's success in Africa isn't solely due to loans; rather, its
modest and courteous approach has won over African leaders, who now view the
communist country as a better partner than the US government.
The Asian country’s expanding economic and strategic
influence in Africa has caused serious anxiety for the US government, which
sees it as a strategic threat to US interests. According to recent reports,
U.S. policymakers are growing increasingly concerned about China's
infrastructure investments, particularly through project initiatives, which
detractors claim give Beijing geopolitical leverage and create long-term
dependency.
The United States sees China's economic participation in
Africa as a threat to its national security since China owns essential
infrastructure like ports and railroads, as well as key minerals like cobalt in
the Democratic Republic of Congo. Another concern is China’s establishment of
its first overseas military base in Djibouti, located just six miles from the
U.S. Camp Lemonnier, which serves as the U.S. Africa Command and
counterterrorism operations.
The United States' no-strings-attached investment model is
causing African nations to align more and more with Beijing. African leaders
think that Trump intentionally caused economic problems for both China and
African countries by starting a trade war with China. African dissatisfaction
with the US government grew as a result of the continent's greater reliance on
the Chinese government.
Today, China has such a significant influence on the lives
of 1.5 billion Africans that it influences almost every aspect of African
civilizations. The Communist Party of China has affected almost every sector of
the continent's economy, including natural resources, trade, logistics, and
agriculture. Chinese companies have invested heavily in manufacturing,
services, and real estate. Trump boycotted the G-20 Summit in South Africa for several
reasons, including this.
The fact that President Donald Trump issued a series of
executive orders following his return to office that severely disrupted U.S.
foreign aid to Africa, mainly through a broad suspension and review of
assistance programs under an "America First" agenda, is another
significant issue that has weakened the relationship between Africa and the U.S.
Major development, humanitarian, and health programs were the focus of the most
significant suspensions and cancellations.
Thousands of projects throughout Africa were terminated as a
result of the cancellation of 5,200, or 83%, of USAID's grants globally. This
included the over $11 billion in funding that USAID gave to African nations in
2023, mostly for health and humanitarian initiatives.
Food and medical supplies became stranded in ports
throughout the continent as a result of the abrupt stop-work order, which
particularly affected nations like Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo that significantly depend on U.S. humanitarian assistance. African
leaders were forced to rely more on China as a result of the disruption, which
led to the closure of HIV clinics, training programs, and other trans health
facilities in South Africa.
China already controls roughly 12% of Africa's industrial
production, or $500 billion annually, according to research by the New South
Policy Center. Chinese businesses already control about half of the African
contract construction sector, and they are mining in a number of African
nations. China has recently set up educational institutions aimed at promoting Chinese
culture and language in Africa while opposing Western democratic values.
Will the connection, business, and trade between African leaders and the US administration ever get better? I don't believe so because China has built a solid and cordial commercial foundation with Africa that is hard to receive from the governments of the US and the West. More significantly, China is seen by Africa as a genuine business and development partner.