It is to Africa’s advantage that the jockeying for influence between China, the US, EU and other regional powers brings critical investment for development. However, African leaders are also wary of being caught in the crossfire of geoeconomic competition.

China is popular in Africa, but issues of corruption, insufficient job creation, lack of skills and technology transfer dog its efforts. Addressing ordinary people’s well-being is essential if Beijing is to craft a relationship that better reflects Africans’ needs.

It is hard to imagine the West stirred into such action in the absence of China’s aggressive vaccine diplomacy. Still, developing countries are benefiting, especially in Africa.

Africa sees China as an inspirational development partner that can help it forge its own economic path and reject the narrative that the continent is a passive victim of exploitation.