In recent years, Africa has emerged as a focus of global competition, with major powers vying for influence on the continent. Rich natural resources, a young and growing population, and untapped economic potential have attracted the attention of global stakeholders, including China, Russia, the United States, and the European Union. Africa is now a key arena for these world powers to expand their geopolitical influence, economic investment, and strategic interests. However, the approaches of China and Russia in particular are beginning to overshadow those of the West, as both countries use unique and sometimes complementary strategies to assert their dominance over the continent.
China’s economic expansion
China’s involvement in Africa is motivated by economic goals, the main goals of which are expressed in the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Belt and Road has brought huge infrastructure investments across Africa, mainly in roads, railways, ports and electricity. Trade relations between China and the African continent have developed dramatically, with bilateral trade reaching up to $262 billion in 2022, making China the largest trading partner in Africa. Its policies, based on large-scale investments and a “no-constraints” philosophy, provide development initiatives free from the governance conditions often imposed by Western countries.
In addition to the economic impact, the Chinese government is expanding its influence by investing heavily and sheltering an estimated 1 million Chinese people living across Africa. China has deployed more than 20 private security organizations in more than 30 African countries with large numbers of Chinese expatriates, including Nigeria and South Africa. These security services are primarily provided by Chinese companies that provide risk assessment, training, and economic asset protection, demonstrating the Chinese government’s focus on protecting its burgeoning interests on the continent. There is.
However, there are limits to China’s involvement. Beijing’s private security companies are expanding their operations in Africa, but in high-risk conflict zones like Mali and the Central African Republic, reflecting China’s cautious stance on direct involvement in volatile regions. are avoiding. Despite these limitations, China’s security presence, often perceived as separate from its state apparatus, employs these companies to gradually expand its geopolitical reach. It is closely tied to the Chinese government.
Russia’s militarization approach
While China relies on economic investments and prudent security approaches, Russia has adopted a much more aggressive and militaristic strategy in Africa. Moscow’s influence is based on the use of private military contractors (PMCs), most notably the Wagner Group, which was renamed “Afrika Korps” after the death of its founder Evgeny Prigozhin. These PMCs provide a means for Russia to project influence across the continent at relatively low cost while maintaining plausible deniability of direct involvement.
Russia’s civilian military presence is concentrated in conflict zones, where it provides security services to governments facing insurgency or civil war. In return, Moscow frequently receives lucrative contracts that include access to natural resources such as gold and diamonds and important military bases. The Afrika Korps, now under the Russian Ministry of Defense, signals the Russian government’s growing determination to tighten its control over operations in Africa. This militarized strategy not only allows Russia to maintain a substantial presence in Africa, but also allows it to advance its larger geopolitical ambitions to challenge Western hegemony.
Unlike China, Russia has not avoided entering conflict zones. Russian PMCs have entered countries where traditional Western actors have retreated, such as Mali and the Central African Republic, and frequently provide military aid in exchange for political and economic concessions. This approach is consistent with Russia’s ambitions to be recognized as a great power and to counter Western influence in international security concerns.
Supporters of Captain Ibrahim Traore hold Russian flags and cheer on the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, October 2, 2022 (AP Photo)
crisis of influence
While China and Russia strengthen their ties with Africa, Western countries find themselves increasingly marginalized on the continent. For decades, Western engagement in Africa has consisted of foreign aid, military intervention, and development assistance related to governance reforms and democratic principles. However, this approach has attracted criticism for being paternalistic and perpetuating neo-colonial relationships. Military interventions, particularly in Libya and the Sahel region, are often unsafe and result in long-term instability, exacerbating anti-Western sentiment in many African countries.
Western countries’ challenges to remain relevant in Africa are compounded by their inability to adapt to the continent’s changing requirements. African countries are now seeking a variety of partnerships that deliver more direct benefits without the political strings attached to Western aid. This change has allowed China and Russia to promote themselves as more reliable allies, providing economic or military support under more relaxed conditions.
For example, African countries seeking to maintain domestic sovereignty find China’s economic initiatives and Russia’s military involvement increasingly attractive. Conversely, Western countries are seen as prioritizing short-term security gains and economic exploitation over long-term development and security alliances that benefit African peoples.
Africa’s role
Competition between China, Russia, and the West has drawn a new map of power in Africa. China’s cautious and commercially oriented approach prioritizes long-term growth through trade and infrastructure, while Russia’s militaristic policy focuses on achieving immediate strategic interests in conflict zones. Meanwhile, Western countries are caught between these two rising powers and have been unable to redefine their engagement in a way that resonates with African countries today.
This international competition presents African countries with opportunities as well as challenges. On the one hand, African leaders can take advantage of the competition between China, Russia, and the West to negotiate better terms and investments that support their country’s development goals. However, the growing influence of foreign powers has raised concerns about the potential loss of sovereignty and the risks associated with over-reliance on foreign actors for security and development.
Africa’s importance as a geopolitical battleground is expected to grow in the coming years as major powers continue to expand their influence. The West’s quest for relevance, Russia’s military assertiveness, and China’s economic expansion will determine the direction of the continent’s domestic development and international relations. However, how African leaders manage these rival forces, and their ability to forge alliances that support not only economic expansion and security but also the independence and stability of the continent’s countries, will ultimately determine whether African will be a determining factor in shaping the future of World powers need to adjust their strategies to achieve win-win partnerships
As China and Russia expand their influence across Africa, Western countries face an existential challenge to their traditional roles on the continent. Its traditional position on the continent is under threat from China and Russia, which are expanding their influence across Africa. China’s Belt and Road Initiative, reinforced by private security deployments, and Russia’s use of private military contractors are significantly changing Africa’s geopolitical landscape. For Western countries to maintain a meaningful presence in Africa, they need to rethink their approach, emphasizing partnerships that reflect the aspirations of African countries, rather than focusing solely on short-term security and economic gains. There will be. Overall, how well these superpowers are able to modify their plans to respond to the continent’s changing demands and objectives will determine how Africa’s international relations develop in the future.
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