Are Russia and China replacing the US in Africa?
(Baonghean.vn) - Fox News believes that Russia and China are replacing the US in Africa. Accordingly, Russia is creating political influence, while China is penetrating economically. This is not just an accusation from US President Joe Biden's political opponents, but a reality.
“President Biden’s foreign policy has been a disaster on every continent, and Africa is no exception,” Republican Senator Tim Scott told Fox News. The politician explained that while “Russia and China are doing their best to push the United States out of a region that will soon be home to a quarter of the world’s population,” the White House has lost control of the situation and is undermining America’s strategic interests in Africa.
The Republican senator believes that only this November's election can begin to stem the decline of US power in the region.
Fox News noted that the Niger government's request for the US to withdraw its troops shows the decline of Washington's influence. Gustavo de Carvalho, a senior fellow at the South African Institute of International Relations who studies African governance and diplomacy, told Fox News: "The US is facing challenges in maintaining its position in West Africa."
Military analyst and former US Army intelligence officer Rebecca Koffler agrees. Koffler believes that Russian President Putin is presenting a “smart vision” of multipolarity in Africa.
“Africa is a large voting bloc in the United Nations, so it can vote in favor of Russian interests over Western interests,” said analyst Koffler.
While Russia is focused on replacing the US in Africa politically, taking advantage of the fact that “Western narratives and motives are increasingly distrusted in Africa”, China is penetrating the black continent through economic means. From this perspective, observers say, the US is losing the battle for Africa not to Russia, but to China.
Fox News pointed out the big difference in Africa's trade with China, the US, and Russia. Accordingly, China with its "Belt and Road" Initiative has an annual trade of 254 billion USD with Africa, while the US only has 64 billion USD and Russia only 18 billion USD.
China is mainly interested in economic issues in Africa./.
