China in Africa: should the West be worried?

China is flexing its muscles as a global superpower and not just where you might expect: it has been spending billions of dollars transforming the infrastructure of an entire continent by building ever closer ties. Everyone in the equation wins. Zambia wins. China wins. China has even placed its only country abroad. Military base in Africa that gained influence has alarmed China's rivals. Our competitors are clearly seeking to convert soft and hard power investments into political influence. Strategic access and military advantage. How

worried

should

the United States and its allies be in the 1960s? Zambians celebrated their independence from the British.

It was a time of hope and freedom to open trade routes. They had to build a new railway line. It was a monumental infrastructure project. The Tazara railway was financed by China. It was the most expensive infrastructure financing project the Chinese had ever undertaken. There was a boost for China's image and influence on the continent in the perception of developing countries and countries emerging from the colonial experience. China was seen as a partner to work with on cases in which the West was not interested. Tazara was only the As of 2022, China had helped lay around 6,000 kilometers of railway lines across the continent, among thousands of other urgently needed infrastructure projects, it has built roads in Mozambique, hospitals in the republic of congo, a dam in sudan since 2007,

china

has financed more

africa

n infrastructure than the next eight foreign lenders combined, but all that investment comes at a price, much of it financed through loans.

Total loans from African nations to China since 2000 are almost US$160 billion. Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zambia and Kenya account for half of those loans, although all less. Some countries owe something to China and much to state-owned Chinese banks, and there is more than one way to claim a debt. Africa is a voting bloc of over 50 countries in the United Nations which is an important bloc and the Chinese have exploited this, they have used it to leverage their advantage to the best of their ability in recent years. African nations have regularly backed China en masse in 2020. 53 countries issued a statement supporting China's crackdown in Hong Kong.

Almost half of them were African. Some believe that this diplomatic support. it is driven by the debt these countries owe China and the supposed control this gives it. They have lured African countries into what we call debt trap diplomacy. China has extended leases on critical infrastructure such as ports and airports. You have to imagine if you were a Chinese rival. and

china

was going around the world is getting a significant boost to its influence by providing infrastructure this narrative that china was actually trying to trap its partners was very, very attractive it is a view fueled not by facts but by suspicions of the terms of many of china's loans to

africa

n nations are shrouded in secrecy china does not produce reports or documents on how much money is lent and where the money goes that kind of transparency is not characteristic of the chinese system in the rare cases where investigators have been able to discover information It is clear that China plays hard.

All revenue from Entebbe airport in Uganda, for example, is used to pay the Chinese lender who helped build it before anyone else. Angola is paying off most of its loans by guaranteeing oil in 2020. 61 of its oil exports went to China, while China has never attempted to use its loans to take control of the infrastructure it has built. She is strict about receiving a full refund. Some Western institutions, on the other hand, tend to be a little more accommodating. There are more visible signs of China's growing power on the mainland in 2017. China established its first overseas military base with more than a thousand people.

It seems like a direct counterattack to the presence of the United States and its allies just a few miles away and is looking to expand. US intelligence agencies believe China wants to build a new base. On the other side of the continent, in Equatorial Guinea, China has also been arming the continent with armored personnel carriers in the Central African Republic, apparently drones in Ethiopia, China is selling military equipment to more sub-Saharan African countries than any another country. African civil society also continues to grow and with that presence comes increasing influence. 63% of Africans think this is positive in Ghana.

Less than half do. My name is Bright Aqua, I'm an artist and I'm basically doing an exhibition on the streets. from accra i put up these posters about a month ago in ghana there are claims that china's political influence keeps anti-chinese news out of the spotlight bright makes satirical cartoons and displays them where everyone can see we selected this particular site because it is very very popular space and therefore visibility is very high. Bright's story begins in 2016. Back then there was outrage in Ghana against Chinese immigrants illegally mining gold, a practice known as galam sei. Mining has seriously contaminated water supplies but the Ghanaian government was doing little to stop it currently look where I am standing the land has been destroyed I admire everything in the name of God as an artist I thought you could use my voice to speak on the issue he made this piece you see The Ghanaian delegation on its knees and the Chinese presidents pour dirty water on them.

I put this painting on my social media channels and someone from the Chinese embassy saw it and a press conference was held and the Chinese diplomats at the press conference tried to impress. on the Ghanaian government literally reviewing the media and works of art the claim defamed its leaders is not the only example of China exploiting its connections in an attempt to limit criticism in 2018 a South African journalist had his column removed after writing about China's treatment of the Uyghurs. A Chinese company had a 20% stake in the publishing house he worked for. His name. Independent media.

The style of reporting has definitely changed and a lot of these stories, I don't think they reach the mass consciousness now. China. is taking bolder steps in the African media landscape hello my name is papastar times star times enjoying the digital life star times a Chinese digital television operator has an ambitious vision of giving millions of Africans access to satellite television by distributing its hardware across the continent this deal has been one of the most controversial, especially with regards to how much influence start times will have regarding what is seen, what is not seen on our televisions and how much it dictates how people actually see the Chinese here.

I think it is an issue that borders on our democracy and perhaps even our security as a country. In just over a decade Star Times has become one of the main digital television operators on the continent with 27 million online users, its service broadcasts hundreds of African channels offering increasing control. over the digital airwaves as Star Times develops Africa's broadcast infrastructure, another Chinese company is transforming its telecommunications, although it may not be advertising, thanks to local people would like to have the best station up and running before the reach seems to have a deadline and a challenge, but don't worry, we can do it Africans have largely welcomed Huawei and its development of the continent's 4G internet network as far as China is concerned what we saw for mining companies What we saw for construction companies we are seeing exactly the same thing now for Technology financing of undersea cables for transitional digital infrastructure has the largest share of any phone manufacturer in Africa.

That is the fear that the Chinese could use the construction of telecommunications systems to spy on African governments and as an extension to spy on Western governments that are doing business with African governments. I think the concern is legitimate, but I think that In a place where the options are not so many nor the prices are so competitive, I think the Chinese will continue to play a very important role. The seeds China planted in Africa decades ago have taken deep roots. Today, Chinese lending may be slowing, but its power and influence over society and politics on the continent will continue to increase.

Western concerns are inevitable and understandable, but too often Western policymakers forget that African leaders and people are not mere spectators to this idea that Africans are somehow deceived and tricked into accepting an agreement that they do not actually It works for them, it infantilizes Africans and they somehow need Westerners to come and defend them from the cunning and deceitful Chinese instead of worrying about what China is doing in Africa. perhaps Western governments

should

spend more time thinking about their own relationships on the vast and vital continent. There has to be a reevaluation of how the West views Africa and Africa's place in the world because as far as the Chinese are concerned, they think that Africa is going to play an important role in the world and they should be active in Africa.

It is hoped that the West can adopt the same attitude and not simply pay attention to Africa because it is a target of Chinese influence. Hi, I'm Gaddy Epstein, a journalist. At the Economist, my colleague John McDonald and I recently wrote a special report on China in Africa. You can read it by clicking on the link and don't forget to subscribe.