Trump’s national-security adviser unveiled a new strategy designed to counter Beijing’s growing influence on the continent.
Facing increased competition for influence from China, the Trump administration unveiled a new strategy for Africa focused on commercial ties, counterterrorism, and better-targeted U. S. foreign aid. But it may be too little, too late.
In a wide-ranging speech Thursday at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D. C., John Bolton, President Trump’s national-security adviser, explicitly warned that the ultimate goal of Beijing’s “predatory” influence over Africa was to advance China’s global dominance. This, he said, would leave the continent in far worse shape.
Beijing spends far more money in Africa than other countries do—and with far fewer overt preconditions. This absence of regulatory or political certainty deters other potential investors, including the U. S.
In their absence, China has built massive roads, dams, and railways in areas with little to no connectivity; signed lucrative contracts for raw materials with resource-rich governments; and kept mum about the terms of its loans, an obvious plus for corrupt leaders. Its money has had disastrous consequences for some countries. But in the absence of other significant players in Africa, Beijing is, for all intents and purposes, the only game in town.
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“China uses bribes, opaque agreements, and the strategic use of debt to hold states in Africa captive to Beijing’s wishes and demands,” Bolton said. He added that its investments are not only corrupt, but don’t meet U. S. environmental or ethical standards. The new strategy, he said, would benefit both America and African nations.
Bolton’s remarks, in which he called China’s actions “predatory,” suggest that Africa is likely to become the latest battleground between the U. S. and China, which have clashed on a range of issues over the past two years. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the Trump administration was planning to call out China for a campaign of economic espionage and hacking; add to that an increasingly costly trade war between the two countries and U.
