By: Azhar Azam
*This is one of my opinion pieces (unedited) that first appeared at "China Global Television Network (CGTN)":
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-19/Why-China-is-the-partner-for-Africa--Od4WVg7q6Y/index.html
About a month after contending in the Caribbean that Chinese investment in Africa “feeds corruption and undermines rule of law,” the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on a whistle-stop tour to three African countries: Senegal, Angola and Ethiopia. It is the first African visit by an official of the Trump administration in more than 19 months.
Just as African political analysts called his comments “almost hypocritical,” arguing that the US companies were not necessarily the cleaner ones – the governments and people in the continent aren’t much excited at his arrival as well following White House’s recent travel ban on another four African nations: Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan and Tanzania.
Former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar took the US immigration restrictions with “sadness” while Eritrean press statement dubbed the act “unfriendly” and expressed its “dismay.” The inclusion in the list of “pariah states” was shocking for the African nations, especially Nigeria that has been conducting counterterrorism campaign against Boko Haram with America and sustained close diplomatic relationship with the US since 1960.
While people of the continent are yet to forget the US President Donald Trump’s racist “shithole countries” remarks about El Salvador, Haiti and Africa, the new US budget proposal slashed assistance to Africa by 39% or $3.23 billion and scratched African health programs such as President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) by 26%.
Recalling that the US travel ban would effectively effect about a quarter of the continent’s population, American desire to reduce its military footprint and the retrench in economic and medical support is a precise message that it is not concerned about peace and stability, welfare and security of Africans.
So what Pompeo discussed in Senegal about resolving African security issues was thoroughly contradicting. On one side, he confirmed Senegalese foreign minister that Pentagon wishes to withdraw combat troops, leaving its military presence in the areas of training and intelligence and on the other hand, he pledged that the US would work closely with regional forces and European countries in the fight against armed groups.
Subsequent to his flimsy commitment in Senegal to combat with terrorism, Pompeo reached in oil-rich Angola to support Angolan President Joao Lourenco’s drive against corruption and to claw back billions of dollars plundered from state coffers. Again, Pompeo visit to Luanda was largely to secure the interests of American oil companies, including Exxon Mobil and Chevron, in Africa’s second-largest oil producer and third-largest economy of the continent.
His quote-in-quote words “We have got a group of energy companies that have put more than $2 billion in a natural gas project. That will rebound to the benefit of the American businesses for sure as well” shed light on the fact that he was more inclined to protect the US commercial its interests in Angola than to extend economic and infrastructure cooperation.
Pompeo is now in Ethiopia, a key US ally in the Horn of Africa, which has undergone dramatic political reforms since Nobel-laureate Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad assumed office in 2018. In Addis Ababa, Pompeo would discuss the construction of $4.2 billion worth of hydroelectric dam project that Egypt fears will dry off the Nile, on which the parched Arab state rely for 90% of its water.
Once questioned about Washington competition with Beijing in Angola and other African countries, Pompeo said that he would leave other to analyze how the US model differs from China’s way of business, adding “When we come, we hire Angolans.” His comments again towed the global attention over American S disquiet about Beijing’s leading role in developing the most impoverished continent.
Over the last 17 years, Chinese investments in Angola have exceeded $20 billion and Ethiopia was the country that charmed the largest foreign direct inflows from Beijing of $2.5 billion in 2019. Pompeo’s “debt diplomacy” went in tatters as Luanda’s debt was less than 50% of its total debt while it had managed to pull it down from $23.3 billion in 2017 to $22.8 billion until first quarter of 2019.
In Ethiopia, China-sponsored industrial parks helped its economy to transform and created thousands of jobs, which lead the two nations to knot themselves into an undeniable and enduring economic and trade relations. Chinese investments in Ethiopian infrastructure, manufacturing and textile sectors show its commitment and its preparedness to meet the economic, social and transportation needs of the country.
After US shale revolution, American focus in oil-producing African countries had significantly declined. In this crunch phase, China came in to help Angola and increased its crude oil imports from the country. In the first quarter of 2019, Chinese crude imports were 68% of total Angolan oil exports.
China also remained a key partner of Senegal in 2019. The bilateral trade between the two countries totaled $2.27 billion in 2018 while several Chinese businessmen have arrived in Senegal to find potential investment opportunities. In infrastructure cooperation, China has constructed a number of projects including the Chinese built Diamniadio industrial park.
While Pompeo touts that Senegal, Angola and Ethiopia are the “three countries in various stages of development in their transition to democracy and their stability,” he tends to impugn China-Africa relations by offering the US economic plans. But after the ditching US moves and unambiguous strategy to split up its ties with China, African nations would find it hard to cuddle American idea.
In the changing world, the interests of the entire world are interlaced and no country can align a new ally at the expense of the other. For Africa, China is a savior and a valuable and trusted partner that has invariably stood with the continent for decades with unwavering devotion and resolute support.
Beijing’s funding of a number of projects without attaching any stringent conditions, respect for African culture and understanding of its priorities and sovereignty – urge the region to reject Western Sino-phobic mindset. That’s why, China is highly celebrated as a dependable economic and strategic partner in the continent and more and more African people are turning up to hail its economic growth and presence in Africa.