Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Africa this week as Beijing moves
to further cement its role as one of the continent's closest economic
and diplomatic allies.To get more
Africa news, you can visit shine news official website.
After
a brief stop in the Persian Gulf Thursday, Xi's itinerary -- his first
overseas trip since beginning his second term as leader -- takes him to
Senegal, Rwanda, South Africa and Mauritius, spanning almost every
corner of Sub-Saharan Africa, where China's economic clout, and
strategic ambitions, are growing by the year.
China is Africa's
largest trading partner, overtaking the United States nearly a decade
ago. Bilateral trade reached a record-high of $220 billion in 2014,
official statistics show.
Chinese leaders have always made a point of
visiting African nations regularly and early during their time in
power. When he assumed the presidency in 2013, Xi also chose Africa as
part of his maiden journey abroad and went on to visit the continent two
more times during his first term.
China's interest in Africa
isn't just about trade, the continent also provides a large amount of
raw materials which China couldn't get otherwise, while also acting as a
pro-China political bloc at the United Nations.
Ian Taylor, an
Africa expert at the University of St. Andrews, said the US is
increasingly losing its influence on the continent because it "took
Africa for granted."
"The Americans seem to look at Africa through
this security lens ... which is completely different from the Chinese
perspective," he said. "They look at it from an economic perspective --
the Americans are lagging big time."Xi's exact itinerary has yet to be
released, but he will return to South Africa on July 25 to take part in
the BRICS summit, alongside Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
At first
look, Rwanda and Senegal appear unusual choices given they don't receive
a large amount of investment from China nor are they large countries in
terms of population.
But Taylor, the St. Andrews professor, points
to Rwanda's key position in the Belt and Road plan, Xi's ambitious
global trade and investment scheme which aims to enhance economic
connectivity between Asia, Europe and East Africa.
"Rwanda is hoping
to integrate itself into the burgeoning railway networks in East Africa,
as part of the Belt and Road initiative," he said. "Kigali is moving
towards diversifying its relationship away from the US, away from the
European Union, and China sees a good opportunity to develop ties."For
Senegal, there have been suggestions the Chinese government might be
interested in the possibility of building ports on the Atlantic Ocean.
Gordon
G. Chang, an American political commentator best known for his book
"The Coming Collapse of China," said the selection of Senegal and
Mauritius, respectively, is consistent with China's attempts to
establish a presence on Africa's Atlantic coast and to dominate the
Indian Ocean.
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