US moves to counter China in Africa
China is trying to move up from regional power to global power- based on economic policies with a military backup. They have their Belt and Road initiative to connect Asia with Europe. And they have other plans such as Africa. They want to create infrastructure - which I have said before was Africa's shortcoming to economic growth. The US feels the need to get in the way.
The Pentagon and US State Department are reinforcing their commitment to African security and influence amid numerous reports of stepped up Chinese military and economic incursions into the region.
Having established a military base in Djibouti on the coast as recently as last year, China is expanding political and military influence in the region, inspiring substantial concern among US officials and prompting discussion of a stronger commitment.
“Djibouti is a key, strategic United States partner in the region and is host to Camp Lemonnier, the sole enduring presence for the United State military in Africa since 2003. Djibouti remains committed to ensuring the pursuit of our shared interests in the region,” a State Dept. official told Warrior Maven Global Security.
According to US senior leaders and independent think-tank assessments, China’s fast-expanding military presence is designed to fortify substantial political and economic influence. This phenomenon, fast on the rise, is already undermining the US presence and greatly influencing political institutions and strategy across a wide array of US-allied African nations, senior officials say.
The Djiboutian government is about $1.5 billion in debt to Beijing, General Thomas Waldhauser, Commander of US AFRICOM, told Congress earlier this year.
“We have strategic interest there, and the Chinese have built a base just outside our gate. So it is important that we are there, that we're present, and the African people see our commitment to their overall desires,” Waldhauser told the House Armed Services Committee this past March. “The African continent is a very interesting question because, first of all, there they are involved primarily all over the continent, for minerals, resources, and the like.
Increasingly, Chinese involvement is taking on a decidedly military direction; a 2017 report from the DoD-backed “African Center for Strategic Studies” not only raises concern about Chinese moves to acquire and exploit the countries’ natural resources, but also reports that, in 2015, the Chinese were the second largest arms provider to Africa behind only Russia.
Waldhauser articulated this to lawmakers as well, explaining that Chinese military operations in Djibouti do threaten US military activities.
“If the Chinese took over that port, the concern could be significant if there are restrictions on our ability to use it,” Waldhauser said. “Moreover, our U.S. Navy ships come in and out of there to refuel. There could be some consequences, that is why it is important to watch this,” he said.
The Africa-focused think tank further identifies the fast-growing scale of the Chinese involvement in Africa, which constitutes more than 80-percent of its $93 billion in annual crude oil, raw materials and natural resource imports from the region.
Beijing operates approximately 2,500 development, civil works, and construction projects worth $94 billion in 51 African countries, the report says.
“In 2009, China surpassed the United States as Africa’s largest trading partner, and by 2015, China’s trade with Africa had reached $300 billion,” according to the African Center Strategic Studies’ “Pursuing the China Dream through Africa: Five Elements of China’s Africa Strategy,” essay reports. Link here - (
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Originally Posted by Lummy
