There’s Room For Everyone

By David Shinn

Ambassador David Shinn teaches in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.  He previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso during his 37 year Foreign Service career.

Chinese and Western interests in Africa—in other words, what these countries want from Africa rather than what they can do for Africa—are surprisingly similar.  They all want access to African raw materials, the political support in international fora of as many as possible of Africa’s 54 countries, and the ability to expand exports to Africa’s 1.1 billion population and growing middle class.  China and the Western countries also want to avoid a plethora of potential negative issues that might harm their interests in Africa or the homeland.  These include acts of terrorism, narcotics trafficking, international crime, piracy, and illegal immigration.    

Some Western countries, for example the United States and France, want to ensure naval access to African ports and the ability of military aircraft to overfly African countries and land at African airports. While China does not yet have this as a significant interest, that time may be fast approaching.  Between one and two million people of Chinese origin now live in Africa, and they increasingly find themselves in harm’s way.  China had to evacuate 36 thousand Chinese nationals from Libya in 2011. 

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