Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded his Africa tour in Nigeria on Thursday, where he pledged China’s full support and military assistance to the continent’s most impoverished nations.
The visit marked the end of his tour, which began on January 6 and included stops in Namibia, the Republic of Congo, and Chad before concluding in Abuja, Nigeria, where he held discussions with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar.
“China will firmly support Africans in addressing African issues in an African way. Africans are the true masters of their continent,” Wang declared following his talks with President Tinubu.
In a key development, Wang announced a pledge of one billion yuan ($136 million) in military aid for Africa. He also outlined plans for China to train 6,000 troops and 1,000 police officers across the continent.
“China supports Nigeria in encouraging regional unity, promoting cooperation, and enhancing security through collaboration,” Wang added during his visit.
On Wednesday, Wang visited N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, just hours before an attempted attack on the presidential palace left 20 people dead. The assailants’ failed attempt underscored the continent’s ongoing security challenges.
Nigeria, one of China’s primary trade partners in sub-Saharan Africa, exports oil and gas to China while importing manufactured goods. Trade between the two nations reached $22.6 billion in 2023, according to the Nigerian government.
Geopolitical rivalry in Africa
The growing geopolitical rivalry between former colonial powers and nations like China, Russia, and Turkey has intensified amid a wave of military coups in West Africa. Many former French colonies have distanced themselves from Paris, turning instead to Moscow, Beijing, Ankara, and Tehran for support.
China has become Africa’s largest trading partner, with trade reaching $167.8 billion in the first quarter of 2024 alone, according to Chinese state media. Beijing has also established a strong presence across the continent, deploying hundreds of thousands of workers and engineers and gaining strategic access to Africa’s rich mineral resources, including copper, gold, and lithium.
Chinese public bank loans have funded numerous infrastructure projects in Africa, although these loans have contributed to rising debt levels in several countries.
At the September 2023 China-Africa Cooperation Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $50 billion in aid to Africa over three years, a commitment that was warmly received by leaders, including Nigeria’s Tinubu. However, Tinubu suggested that the pledged amount was insufficient given the continent’s vast infrastructure needs, calling for more substantial support to reflect Africa’s realities.
“The infrastructural needs of Africa are far greater than that,” Tinubu said. “We must move as quickly as our counterparts in other parts of the world,” he added, urging China to use its influence to help secure Nigeria a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
As China’s economic challenges at home and its growing rivalry with the United States shape its foreign policy, analysts suggest Beijing’s approach to Africa may evolve, increasingly driven by strategic interests in the region.
AFP
