CHINA Beijing's use of the instruments of power in Africa is guided by the CCP’s belief in the nexus between security and economic development. With this in mind, China seeks to ensure that insecurity in Africa does not threaten its economic investments, in order to allow those investments to raise the level of economic development in Africa, and thereby contribute to more stable security conditions. Its use of diplomatic and information instruments complement these goals. Although Africa has long been an important diplomatic space for China, it has made a major diplomatic push there over the last several years. As noted, China maintains an embassy in all 54 African states, compared to 39 for Russia. Since 2007, Chinese officials have made some 140 trips to Africa, often tied to Belt and Road Initiative projects. For 36 straight years, the Chinese Foreign Minister has made Africa his first annual trip; this year the trip took place in early January and included stops in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Lesotho. Even with a four year hiatus during the COVID pandemic, China’s President Xi Jinping has visited the continent four times since 2015. The primary institution for China’s relations with Africa is the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which brings together Chinese and African officials to discuss trade, development, security and other topics of mutual interest. Finally, in line with its belief that development and security are linked, and its BRI priorities, Chinese diplomatic visits occur disproportionately to the poorest African countries. [40] [41]
The center of China’s information strategy in Africa are its Confucius Institutes, some 60 of which operate in 49 African countries. Although they promote Chinese language and culture, the institutes also openly serve Chinese political and economic goals, attracting criticism from both African and Western observers. As one African scholar noted, "They interfere with the academic freedom within universities and indoctrinate students with Chinese political systems that could be seen as authoritarian or undemocratic.” Unsurprisingly, the [42] growth of Confucius Institutes has corresponded with a growth in the number of African students attending Chinese universities, which has risen from less than 2,000 in 2003 to over 81,500 in 2018. [43]
“China seeks to ensure that insecurity in Africa does not threaten its economic investments, in order to allow those investments to raise the level of economic development in Africa, and thereby contribute to more stable security conditions.”
// RUSSIA AND CHINA IN AFRICA Delphi Global Research Center
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