Coups, natural disasters, and tribal politics are dominating headlines, making America look more like Africa these days. Perhaps that’s why events in Africa are getting even less media attention than usual.
I’m not suggesting beleaguered Americans should commiserate with Africans. But from Tangier to Cape Town, a “silk curtain” is descending across the continent. China is weaving a sphere of influence as commanding as the Soviet Union’s during the Cold War. Washington must grasp what this portends for Beijing’s ambition to replace it as the world’s most powerful superpower.
China’s strategy: infrastructure over ideology
China is courting Africa with unprecedented infrastructure deals and trade agreements. Its recent diplomatic sweep, led by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was a masterclass in strategic foresight. Promising infrastructure projects, bilateral trade agreements, and financial assistance, Beijing is cementing its influence on a continent Western powers treat as an afterthought.
With its Belt and Road Initiative, China has delivered ports, railways, and industrial parks across Africa, offering tangible development instead of hollow political rhetoric. This approach seems guided by Lao Tzu’s famous proverb: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Of course, China’s approach to Africa is not altruistic. It’s effectively colonizing the continent with debt-trap diplomacy and seizing critical infrastructure, including the airport at Entebbe in Uganda and deepwater seaports in Sri Lanka and Djibouti. Even so, by avoiding democracy lectures and focusing on mutually beneficial investments, China is not just winning over African leaders weary of Western paternalism. It’s shaping the continent’s future.
For African leaders, this approach is irresistible. It contrasts sharply with the US focusing on unsustainable humanitarian aid, counter-terrorism measures, military installations, and democracy lectures. In short, the US approach signals to Africans that Washington sees the continent more as a battleground than a business partner.
America’s strategy: fixated on the past
The US has led Western countries in giving over $2.5 trillion in aid to Africa since WWII. Yet it has precious little to show for it. Stuck on stupid, Washington keeps offering “Dead Aid,” building military bases, and preaching democratic platitudes.
This backward-looking approach is emblematic of Washington’s broader strategic myopia. Frankly, the US seems more interested in “naval”-gazing than confronting Beijing’s global ambitions. (As of 2024, the Chinese Navy (PLAN) boasts approximately 730 warships, surpassing the U.S. Navy’s fleet of around 472.)
Case in point: Washington’s sudden obsession with reclaiming the Panama Canal, citing dubious fears of Chinese shipping influence. But while the US is fixated on this relic of the Cold War, China is building a $3 billion megaport in Peru to revolutionize South American trade. Once operational, the port will reduce South America’s reliance on US trade routes, opening direct access to Asian markets.
In fact, from Jamaica’s ports to The Bahamas’ tourism sector, Beijing is methodically encroaching on Washington’s supposed backyard, exposing the lack of any coherent US strategy.
The battle for influence
Again, Washington’s outdated approach to Africa and Latin America — sporadic aid, military bases, and democratic platitudes — belongs to another era. If Washington continues its strategic myopia, it risks irreparable irrelevance.
As Beijing’s investments expand, the US may wake up to find its influence eroded—not just in Africa, but across the globe. And, with President-elect Trump intent on alienating allies (like Canada and Panama) while cozying up to adversaries (like Russia and North Korea), China seems poised to emerge as the only reliable — albeit autocratic — superpower on the world stage.