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. 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 politician explained.
The Republican senator believes that only this November's elections 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 Washington's declining influence. Gustavo de Carvalho, a senior fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs 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 they 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 by Africa,” China is penetrating the continent economically. From this perspective, observers say, the US is losing the battle for Africa not to Russia, but to China.
Fox News points 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./.
