Pekingology China's Africa Strategy
Nov 13, 2025
Cobus van Staden, Managing Editor of the China Global South Project, shares his expertise on China–Africa relations. He discusses China's strategy to enhance its global influence, focusing on recent FOCAC outcomes and commitments to industrialization and green energy. Cobus highlights the increasing agency of African nations in shaping the agenda, while also examining the mixed results of the Belt and Road Initiative. He delves into the implications of China's slowing economy and its strategic partnership with South Africa, showcasing the complexities of these international dynamics.
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Africa Shapes FOCAC Agenda
- FOCAC is a dialectical process where African states increasingly push to broaden the agenda beyond infrastructure.
- African actors have driven Chinese engagement into security, peacekeeping, and industrialization roles.
Bilateral Default Versus Regional Unity
- Regional 'Africa-plus-one' engagement faces limits because Africa's diversity drives bilateral defaults.
- China prefers bilateral deals and African states often pursue national agendas, weakening pan-African coherence.
BRI's Second Act In Africa
- Africa served as an early laboratory for BRI projects, producing both transformative and problematic outcomes.
- Many initial BRI loans are maturing, prompting shifts to RMB denominated deals and new financial models.