U.S. Secretary of StateBlinken's visit to Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Angola in four African countries once again highlights the U.S. strategic presence in the region. The visit was in China for the longest timeWang YiThe visit to Egypt, Tunisia, Togo, and Côte d'Ivoire, which has just concluded after the conclusion of its visit to four African countries, shows the intention of the United States to challenge China in the African region. In the document launched by Biden in 2022, it was clearly proposed to launch a decade-long geopolitical game with China, which can be seen that the competition between China and the United States in this field is regarded as the main battlefield, and its importance is no less than thatEconomywithTechnologyField. As a result, in recent years, the United States has actively expanded its influence in regions where it does not have a diplomatic advantage, such as Africa, which has become one of the three regions that the United States is focusing on.
The United States has chosen to expand its influence in Africa, unlike its cooperative relationships with traditional allies such as Europe, Japan and Australia. Ironically, these regions are without exceptionDeveloping countriesor relatively poor countries. It has been suggested that the countries that are friends with the United States are developing, while the countries that are enemies are poor. In our comparison, there seems to be evidence of this. However, there are significant implications for this conclusionLogical errors。In fact, the United States had pursued an isolationist policy prior to Pearl Harbor, and most of America's traditional allies had been since before World War IIDeveloped countries。The only one that was supported by the United States becameDeveloped countriesAn example is South Korea. Therefore, the traditional allies of the United States have become developed not because they have become friends with the United States, but because they have them themselvesDeveloped countriesThe United States chose to establish friendly relations with them. If it can develop just by dealing with the United States, why is Latin America, located in the "backyard" of the United States, still poor and even in turmoil? The same is true for Africa, there were some ** African countries in the past, but the United States does not attach importance to Africa at all, because Africa's backwardness requires huge human, material, financial and time costs to develop, and the United States is not willing to invest in this area. It can be seen that the past few yearsChina and RussiaIts influence in Africa is growing, while the influence of the United States is declining. It was not until 2022 that Biden**, instigated by domestic anti-China lawmakers, began to woo African countries and held the second US-Africa Leaders Conference. However, does anyone know when the first session was? It turned out to be 2014, a full eight years between the two conferences, which further reflects the United States' cold attitude towards Africa. It can be seen that the United States is currently courting Africa not out of development considerations, but purely out of targetingChina and Russiaof the position to carry out the action. China must be vigilant, and Russia cannot sit idly by, but the actual threat posed by the United States is not great, because the United States' attitude towards Africa means that they will not really pay attention to Africa in the future. Therefore, Africa will not trust the United States either, nor will it expect much benefit from it.
As the second most populous continent in the world, Africa has attracted the attention of countries around the world with its abundant resources and huge market potential. However, Africa has long faced the problems of poverty, backwardness and instabilityEconomyDevelopment lags far behind other regions. Against this backdrop, Africa has become a litmus test for competition among countries, and it is also one of the main arenas for the geopolitical game between China and the United States.
As Africa's largest partner and investor, China has been committed to promoting Africa's development for many years. Through large-scale infrastructure construction, aid programs and investment projects, China has brought tremendous development opportunities to African countries. For example, China has built a large number of railways, roads, ports and other infrastructure in Africa, which has improved the transportation and logistics level of African countries and promoted the regionEconomyIntegration process. In addition, China is also in agricultureMedical, education and other fields, China has carried out extensive cooperation and provided tangible assistance and support to Africa.
By contrast, the United States has a weak foothold in Africa. Not only does the United States pay less attention to Africa, but it also invests relatively little in aid. In recent years,United States**More focus on the Asia-Pacific region andMiddle East, while the focus on the African region is gradually declining. Even in the aid package that the United States is rolling out today, its investment in Africa is relatively limited and not comparable to that of China. This has also weakened the attention and expectations of African countries to the United States.
In the context of Sino-US competition, the United States has chosen to develop its strategic layout in Africa not for the purpose of developing Africa, but more for the purpose of containing China's influence in Africa. However, such a temporary move by the United States cannot change China's long-standing positive image and huge influence in Africa. African countries have seen China's development model and pragmatic cooperation attitude, and they are very willing to strengthen cooperation with China to promote Africa's development. Thus, even if the United States rises its head in Africa, its real threat is limited.
For China, in the face of U.S. competition in Africa, China cannot afford to take it lightly. China should continue to adhere to the principle of pragmatic cooperation, increase investment, strengthen infrastructure construction, and promote industrial upgrading in AfricaEconomyDevelop. At the same time, China should also strengthen people-to-people exchanges with African countries and deepen understanding and friendship between the two peoples. Only by strengthening cooperation and common development can we truly promote itChina-Africa relationsTowards a more stable and long-lasting future.
For the United States, although there is some competition in related fields in Africa, the United States can also find some opportunities in it. First, the United States can use its cooperation with Africa to increase its influence in the region and enhance its voice in global affairs. Second, by strengthening cooperation with African countries, the United States can gain support from Africa, so that it can play a role inInternationalMore alliances and support are formed in the transaction.
However, it is important to emphasize that the United States is not only competing with China, but also includes countries such as Russia. As mentioned earlier, currentlyChina and RussiaIts influence in Africa is growing, while the influence of the United States is declining. Thus, the U.S. competition in Africa is not simply aimed at dealing with China. Summary: The article mainly mentions the intention of the United States to carry out its strategic layout in Africa, and mentions the competition between China and the United States in Africa. The article argues that the United States chose to expand its influence in Africa out of a position against China and Russia, rather than genuinely caring about Africa's development. At the same time, the article also pointed out that the influence of the United States in Africa is gradually declining, and China's positive image and cooperative attitude in Africa have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Finally, the article mentions that both China and the United States need to take their competition in Africa seriously, strengthen cooperation, and promote Africa's development.