A FEW days ago, Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first president, died at the age of 97. He was the last of a generation of African leaders who stood up to colonialism. He enjoys the same stature as Nelson Mandela, who successfully opposed and ended apartheid in South Africa.
Both leaders have dedicated
their lives to freeing their homeland and people from any form of colonisation.
They accomplished their purpose but the current crop of African leaders has
failed to grasp these great leaders’ aspirations for Africa as a whole. These
former leaders’ altruistic goals for Africa are steadily being eroded by
neo-colonialism, in the form of economic influence.
China’s growing influence in
Africa, which is threatening America’s hegemony as the globe’s sole superpower,
has the potential to spread throughout the world. Africa is now deeply divided
between the influence of the West and that of China.
During the “first” Cold War,
the US and Soviet Union pitted their strength against one other on foreign
terrain. For example, the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, Algerian War, Congo
Crisis, Suez Crisis (Egypt), the South African Border War, the Mozambican War
of Independence and 1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border.
The proxy trade war between
China and the US has been dubbed the “second Cold War.” The Joe Biden
administration signed an Executive Order (EO) earlier this month prohibiting
Americans from participating in 59 Chinese firms, including Hangzhou Hikvision
Digital Technology, Proven Glory Capital and Proven Honour Capital.
As per the EOs, the conflict
between these countries is real and other nations may serve as a test bed for
them to gauge their strength on global issues. Therefore, Africa is being
viewed as a new “theatre” in which these two countries might put their
dominance to the test.
Foreign aid, investments and
loans
Africa is one of the most important
recipients of US foreign aid, which is about 20% of its cumulative assistance.
However, the sum was substantially reduced during the Donald Trump
administration. This has provided China with an opportunity to expand its
influence in Africa, through infrastructure loans and other sorts of
assistance.
Furthermore, just a few days
earlier, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed a 0.2% cut in foreign aid,
equivalent to almost £4 bil. Oxfam and ActionAid UK have both expressed their
displeasure with the decision. Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the
Democratic Republic of Congo are the top recipients of UK foreign aid in
Africa.
Former colonial powers such as
France and the UK have a moral obligation to support their former colonies
financially through existing foreign aid programmes during COVID-19, and
withdrawing funding at these difficult times would be utterly irresponsible.
According to a recent
Washington Post report, China is Africa’s largest bilateral creditor, holding
at least 21% of African debt and responsible for over 30% of debt service
payments this year. One of the variables that contribute to neo-colonialism is
economic power. Neo-colonialism is the indirect control of less-developed or
developing countries by wealthier countries. A less-developed or developing
country’s debt is a hoax created by a rich country in order to recolonise
indirectly. According to Brahma Chellaney, China used debt-trap diplomacy to
expand its influence in Africa.
China’s long-standing affinity
with Africa is based entirely based on economic and political grounds. Natural
resources abound in Africa and this might be the linchpin for China’s
expansion. According to the Johns Hopkins University-based SAIS China Africa
Research Initiative (SAIS-CARI), China is Africa’s largest trading partner,
worth more than US$190 bil in 2019.
From 2003 to 2019, China’s
foreign direct investment in Africa increased from US$75 mil in 2003 to US$2.7
bil in 2019. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Ethiopia, South Africa
and Mauritius are the top recipients of Chinese FDI in 2019. These are some of the
evidences which shows that China’s influence in Africa is gaining traction.
Kenya and Zambia debts
Strategic and state-owned
companies in Kenya and Zambia are at risk of being taken over by China due to a
lack of ability to repay debts, confirming China’s influence. The Port of
Mombasa, which was used as collateral for a loan obtained from China for Kenya
Railways Corporation (KRC), is at risk, according to Maritime Executive.
One of the terms of the
contract, which both parties signed, is that Kenya’s sovereign immunity on
collateral assets is waived. This is a dangerous precedent for sovereignty of
any nation. Such a contract would allow a foreign Government to seize
possession of the state’s property without difficulty, exposing the state’s
vulnerability and infringing national security.
Zambia owes Chinese firms more
than US$3 bil out of a total external debt of US$12 bil. Last year, the
country’s national debt surpassed more than 90% of its gross domestic product
(GDP).
According to globalriskinsights.com,
former Broadcast Minister Chishimba Kambwili stated in 2019 that if Zambia is
unable to repay Chinese commercial lenders, the Government will have to
relinquish access to the country’s copper resources and public assets,
including the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport to China.
Mismanagement of Zambia’s
economy, as well as taking excessive debts from China, are some of the factors
contributing to the country’s current predicament. Meanwhile, Djibouti,
Madagascar and South Africa have all had debts with China in recent years, with
the most of the loans focused on development and infrastructure projects.
China’s expanding economic
clout and political influence, as well as its willingness to help Africa’s less
developed countries, have been perceived as a threat to Western supremacy on
the continent.
G7 and NATO against China
The 47th G7 summit, held in
Cornwall, UK, recently raised a collective voice to counter China’s growing
influence by providing poor countries with the Build Back Better World (B3W)
initiative, a nearly US$40 tril infrastructure plan that could compete with
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
In addition, the G7 leaders
are looking for a coordinated response and consensus to challenge China’s
increasing economic and military strength.
Furthermore, at the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Brussels, Belgium earlier this
month, the leaders emphasised that China’s current goals and forceful behaviour
are posing a threat to the rules-based international order and regions critical
to alliance security.
Biden, unlike his predecessor,
wants to strengthen NATO-led partnership to challenge China’s ascent. He also
reaffirmed Article 5, the root of NATO’s existence, which spells out a
collective defence to protect the members’ states security. He saw this as the
US’ “scared obligation” to its European allies.
According to nato.int,
collection defence refers to the fact that an attack on one ally is treated as
an attack on all allies. NATO used this article for the first time following
the 9/11 attacks in the US. The collective defence was also adopted in the
aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and in reaction to the situation in
Syria.
Despite China’s strong
opposition to the G7 and NATO’s criticism, a shift in the geopolitical
landscape is on the horizon. China stressed that the days of global decisions
being imposed by a small set of countries are over. The current conflict
between the West and China has asserted Samuel P Huntington’s “clash of
civilisations” theory.
Conclusion
The continuous conflict
between the West, led by US and China is taking a toll on Africa. The majority
of African countries are underdeveloped. Both the West and China should be
helping the continent, not burdening it with debt and foreign influence.
Africa is currently in serious
need of regeneration. The lack of COVID-19 vaccines, combined with Africa’s
general economic recession, should not be seen as a chance to exacerbate their
suffering.
The majority of African
countries are members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The primary goal of
this forum is to opposes imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism and
any forms of foreign invasion, occupation, dominance, intervention, or
hegemony, as well as major power and bloc politics. As a result, Africa’s
neutrality should be preserved and respected.
Despite the fact that some
have characterised China’s influence in Africa as neo-colonialism through
debt-trap diplomacy, the West is progressively abandoning Africa’s needs by
slashing foreign aid, forcing African countries to select China as their
economic partner.
In a nutshell, the leaders of
African countries must unite through the Africa Union (AU) to safeguard the
continent’s sovereignty. They should also emulate selfless leaders like
Mandela and Kaunda for their contributions not only to their countries, but to
the continent as a whole.
Superpowers will always find a
way to enrich themselves, no matter what it takes. As a result, it is the
primary responsibility of African leaders to safeguard their countries’
sovereignty and liberate their people from the clutches of imperialist powers.
– June 27, 2021.
Source: https://focusmalaysia.my/second-cold-war-how-the-west-is-pushing-africa-into-chinas-debt-trap/
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