China is hosting a major diplomatic event this week, welcoming leaders from across Africa in a bid to deepen its ties with the resource-rich continent. This China-Africa forum, touted as Beijing’s largest diplomatic event since the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to draw more than a dozen African leaders and delegations. It highlights China’s ongoing strategy to bolster its influence in Africa, which has been a focal point of its foreign policy through infrastructure investments and financial aid.
China’s engagement with Africa has been characterized by significant investments in infrastructure and development projects, with Chinese companies sending hundreds of thousands of workers to the continent. These investments have focused on building roads, railways, and ports, while also tapping into Africa’s abundant natural resources, including copper, gold, lithium, and rare earth minerals. In the first half of this year alone, bilateral trade between China and Africa reached $167.8 billion, making China the continent’s largest trading partner.
However, China’s vast loans to African countries have sparked controversy, as critics argue that these financial commitments have saddled many nations with unmanageable debts. Concerns have been raised about the long-term economic implications for African countries that have borrowed heavily from China to finance large-scale infrastructure projects. Notably, China’s lending practices have been scrutinized, with some accusing Beijing of employing “debt-trap diplomacy”—a strategy where a country extends excessive credit to another nation with the intention of extracting economic or political concessions when the debtor struggles to meet its repayment obligations.
This week’s summit underscores China’s determination to expand its influence in Africa amid growing global competition, particularly with the United States. The forum’s agenda is expected to focus on enhancing economic cooperation and technical collaboration, as evidenced by the agreements set to be signed during the visit of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. South Africa, one of China’s key partners on the continent, saw bilateral trade soar to $38.8 billion in 2023. Ramaphosa’s four-day visit to China includes meetings with President Xi Jinping, participation in a welcoming ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, and visits to strategic locations, including Shenzhen, China’s southern tech hub.
China’s involvement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is also significant, particularly in its mining sector. The DRC is rich in natural resources such as copper, gold, and lithium, which are essential for the global tech and renewable energy industries. However, China’s operations in the DRC have not been without challenges. In July, a militia attack on a mining site in the gold-rich Ituri province resulted in the deaths of at least four Chinese nationals, highlighting the security risks associated with doing business in the region.
African leaders are increasingly navigating a complex landscape of great power competition, as the U.S. and China vie for influence on the continent. The U.S. has expressed concerns over what it views as China’s exploitative practices, with Washington warning against Beijing’s approach, which it claims prioritizes China’s narrow commercial and geopolitical interests at the expense of transparency and openness.
Despite these criticisms, China’s financial commitments to Africa remain substantial. Beijing’s loans to African nations in the past year were the highest in five years, although they have decreased compared to the peak lending levels of nearly $30 billion in 2016. Recent data suggest a shift in China’s lending strategy, with a growing preference for directing funds to local banks rather than directly to governments, thereby mitigating credit risks.
As China continues to strengthen its foothold in Africa, the continent’s leaders are faced with critical decisions about the future of their international partnerships. The outcomes of this week’s forum could shape the trajectory of China-Africa relations in the years to come, as both sides navigate the opportunities and challenges of their growing alliance amid shifting global dynamics.
