China and the United States need each other in Africa

Competition is brewing between China and the United States in Africa. After US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to reenergize American engagement last month, the recently finalized triannual Forum on China Africa Cooperation in Senegal spotlighted China’s deep trade and investment and growing political ties on the continent.

Coupled with the mix of envy and criticism that China’s presence in Africa often invokes in the West, Africa is often framed in popular media as another venue in a new Cold War-style rivalry between Beijing and Washington.

But Chinese and American leaders should reject this dangerous thinking. China and the United States need each other in Africa. The two superpowers must work with their African counterparts to grasp common interests in helping Africa overcome some of its most urgent challenges with covid-19, conflict, and climate change.

DIIS senior researcher, Luke Patey, and Professor Zhang Chun at Yunnan University, write in the South China Morning Post that Africa’s challenges represent a rare opportunity for low-politics cooperation between China and the United States. In rejecting an all-or-nothing approach to Africa, China and the United States will not only assist the continent in tackling its biggest challenges, but they may also find ways to ease their own growing tensions too.