Africa has long been coveted by colonial powers for its rich resources and geopolitical position. And up to this day, the world’s superpowers and even the emerging countries have not neglected the great value of the Dark Continent, to advance and develop their economic and security interests. China is one of these countries.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Beijing adopted an ideological approach vis-à-vis and sought to support the leftist movements, during which it signed bilateral trade agreements with Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Somalia, Morocco and Sudan. However, African relations with Beijing were heavily influenced by the Soviet Union animosity towards the Chinese understanding of the Communism which was in stark contrast of that of Moscow. Hence, China’s trade and economic affairs with the entire African nations did not even exceed 1$ billion through the Cold War.
The collapse of the Soviet Union, on the one hand, and Beijing’s move toward the market economy on the other opened up a new chapter in Sino-African relations.
China has always had cordial relations with most of the African countries. Nearly $300 billion in Chinese direct investment has flowed into Africa between 2015 and 2018. Beijing currently accounts for more than a third of Africa’s infrastructure investment. The Sino-African ties are equally benefiting the two sides. According to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company by surveying more than 1,000 Chinese companies operating in Africa, approximately 90% of the employees working in that companies are local Africans and 44% (80% in some cases) of CEOs are Africans. Moreover, about 400,000 Africans are currently studying in China, and so far more than 160,000 Africans have graduated from Chinese universities. Chinese agricultural companies and their experts have supplied and revived the farming industry in Africa.
China’s Growth and Development Assistance (ODA) program has funded health and education sectors across Africa. China is also a primary supplier of weapons to Africans armies and has numerous military and security interactions with the African states.
One can say that mutual respect, timely and successful project completion, as well as appropriate treatment of the African workers, have been paramount to China’s success in Africa.
At the core of the Chinese Communist party’s hegemonic agenda in Africa lays the massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); which relentlessly pursues reinvigorating the ancient Silk Road. Delivering a state speech in 2013 at Nazarbayev University in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, President Xi Jinping promulgated the commencement of the gigantic BRI; Hence sending a strong tremor through the Western block.
The BRI aims to finance directly in infrastructure projects, such as building railways, highways, bridges and ports…etc., within the Chinese territories and abroad, as far as western Africa. BRI incorporates two key strategies: a colossal trans-continental land corridor which connects China with South-East Asia, Central Asia, Middle East, Russia and ultimately Europe (Belt); whereas (Road) refers to the sea routes, or better to say “the 21st century maritime Silk Road and this is exactly where the vital importance of African ports for the Chinese ships and navy comes into play.
In fact, by pursuing this project, China seeks to boost its political and military position on the African continent in order to have the necessary means to compete with other world powers, namely the United States. The BRI requires large investments, and in return, these investments need security and stability. So to protect its investments, Beijing has brought a plethora of trained security contractors to Africa. But the Chinese can lie too. As a matter of fact, Chinese leaders have always maintained that they strictly follow the doctrine of ‘non-interference’ in Africa.
Although Chinese security companies in Africa are much less widespread than Western or Russian companies, security contractors are not viewed positively by the African government and nations. Africans’ negative view of foreign security companies stems from the controversial involvement of foreign mercenaries in some of the continent’s longest-running civil wars, and this will definitely have a negative impact on future Sino-African relations.