Africa must industrialise to diversify away from natural resources and create jobs for its fast-growing young population. And by boosting intra-continental trade, consumption, and investment, regional integration can be a strong vector for improving productivity, building manufacturing powerhouses, and developing credible African brands.
Albeit from the limited perspective of South Africa’s bi-annual Africa Aerospace and Defense (AAD) exhibition, from September 19–23, it is apparent that most African states are ready to enthusiastically support China’s ambitions for militarising its growing influence on that continent, heralded by the first June 26 to July 11 China Africa Defense and Security Forum (CADSF).
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Also Read – Why The Billions China Is Pouring Into Africa Might Not Be Smart Money
It is indeed true that China is ever more involved in Africa. And that involvement now includes a somewhat extensive security presence. Much has been said about the new Chinese military base in Djibouti. There has been finger-pointing and apparently laser-pointing too.
Chinese tourists in South Africa. Pix/LBB
The continent is an important part of Xi’s Belt and Road initiative – a plan to bolster a network of infrastructure connecting China by land and sea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. China has pledged $126bn for the plan, which has been praised by its supporters as a source of vital financing for the developing world. Critics say Africa is loading itself up on Chinese debt that countries may struggle to repay, with estimates ranging in the tens of billions of dollars.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2018 Beijing Summit is scheduled for Sept. 3-4 in the Chinese capital. Established 18 years ago in Beijing, the FOCAC has achieved fruitful results and has become a significant mark of China-Africa cooperation.
China’s engagement with Africa has accelerated over the decades as the middle kingdom eyes the world’s second largest continent for opportunities for economic growth and geopolitical influence. President Xi Jinping’s visits this week to Senegal, Rwanda, South Africa and Mauritius – his first overseas trips of the year – are expected to build ties and extend Beijing’s influence on the continent.
At first glance Ethiopia may appear weak relative to the foreign powers with a growing interest in the area, but history shows that the country has the potential to be much more powerful than it is today. Two empires predating modern Ethiopia – the Aksum Empire (A.D. 100-940) and the Ethiopian Empire (1270-1974) – amassed enough power to define at various points the course of events on the Horn of Africa.
The world seems to be moving away from multilateralism. The United States has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris agreement on climate change, attacked the World Trade Organization, and threatened to start several trade wars. The United Kingdom is negotiating a messy exit from the European Union. But one place is bucking the trend. Over the past decade, Africa has moved rapidly toward regional integration.
China has been crucial to getting the rail portion of the project off the ground. After more than a decade of disagreements with a Franco-Canadian consortium, the governments of Senegal and Mali signed separate agreements with China Railway Construction Corporation in 2015. Senegal’s deal comes to $1.24 billion, and will be funded by a Chinese loan, payable over 30 years at 2% interest.
Residents of this coastal city of 4 million have begun stockpiling bottled water and lining up at natural springs. The reason? Cape Town, a global tourist destination and South Africa’s second-largest city, may soon switch off its taps. Dams are running low in the midst of an extreme three-year drought, one that has been compounded by extended delays in new infrastructure investments. “Day Zero” — the date when officials plan to shut down the municipal supply and start dispensing rations from some 200 collection points — is now expected to arrive in June, a month after the winter rains usually begin.
