Japan’s Abe ‘keeping enemies close’ by offering joint Africa development projects to China

Japan is to invite China to take part in its development projects in Africa, the latest attempt by Tokyo to build new bridges with Beijing.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is apparently hoping that concessions to China will serve to harden Beijing’s resolve against North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, while analysts also suggest that Tokyo is casting around for new allies given the political instability in Washington.

The Yomiuri newspaper has reported that Tokyo envisages the projects as an extension of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, which aims to create a vast area of economic cooperation stretching from eastern Asia to Africa.

The proposal will be the first one of its kind from Tokyo and the initial phase will suggest collaboration on four existing projects in Africa.

The Growth Ring is designed to provide 4,200km of road links that will bring development to Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin and western Nigeria, with 31.5 billion yen (US$280 million) set aside for the project in the form of loans and grant aid.