Opinion | China has nothing to fear from America’s Africa strategy, as it’s largely bluster

Bolton said Africa is experiencing the “disturbing effects of China’s quest to obtain more political, economic, and military power” and described the continent as part of China’s plan to advance “Chinese global dominance”. China’s “predatory practices”, he said, pose a significant threat to US national security interests, and countering these threats is one of the priorities of the US strategy towards Africa.

Through Prosper Africa, Bolton said, the United States will help African countries take ownership of their own development and security. US support for increased investment in Africa will counter predatory Chinese financiers, and transparent bilateral trade and investment agreements with America will create mutually beneficial business partnerships. US aid, moreover, will go only to countries that advance US interests. The US will reconfigure or terminate support for UN peacekeeping missions (many of which include Chinese troops) that do not facilitate lasting peace.

China’s foreign ministry reacted quickly, rejecting Bolton’s accusations and emphasising that China supports African industrialisation and agricultural modernisation. China’s nationalistic Global Times added that the US strategy treats Africa as a colony of the West and conveys contempt for Africa. Africa alone, not the US, should judge China’s aid to the continent, it said.

So how concerned should China be about this new US policy towards Africa? Not very. Bolton’s statement is heavy on rhetoric, but the strategy is stillborn because the administration is not allocating the resources or manpower required for it to succeed. Long before Bolton’s remarks, the Trump administration sought to cut foreign aid by about one-third, although Congress ultimately restored most of the proposed reduction.