Chinese ambitions in Africa

Chinese policy towards Africa has had a long and patient journey, which has lasted for over ten years; in this period the diplomacy of Beijing has made a constant approach in the various African countries making almost eighty visits by the highest Chinese officers in at least forty-three countries of the black continent, as well as several diplomatic missions, which have the purpose of promoting penetration Chinese in African nations. For Beijing, Africa is considered strategic both in the short term and in the long term. The Chinese reasoning has, therefore, a double value both political and economic, but that moves from a vision of development that is convenient for the African countries, but, first of all for China itself. If we think about the short term, the availability of raw materials, combined with a very low labor cost, represent a reason of fundamental and functional interest in the growth of the Chinese economy, which is always the main reason that moves Beijing's interests; however, short-term reasoning must also include the outlet of Chinese goods in rapidly growing economies that require large foreign capital to be allocated to their own development. The data that best illustrates this trend is that of the volume of economic exchanges between China and Africa: at the beginning of the 2000 it stood at 10 billion dollars, while in 2017 it reached 170 billion dollars. But China believes that this figure may increase again, in fact in the long-term vision of Beijing there is the assessment of the increase in the African population, which from the current billion, should go to double by 2050 and even reach 3 billion by the end of the century. This is a forecast that would allow the African continent to have more inhabitants than those of China and India added up: a potentially huge market, if supported by adequate economic growth. In order to support these objectives, China has decided to increase its investments in Africa, thanks to a great availability of financial liquidity, which is the real instrument of penetration on the continent. President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Africa resulted in a 60,000-million credit line to finance growth; previously a similar sum had been invested in favor of the African continent. However, only a part of these funds are without interest and this is considered a sort of danger for the sovereignty of the African countries, because China would have a position of advantage on the governments precisely because of the debt that these loans cause. The question poses geopolitical aspects that are anything but irrelevant: it is clear that Beijing is putting a serious mortgage on African countries and on the influence it can exert on them, both in absolute terms and in terms related to contingent matters, may arise in the future. It is no coincidence that the positive perception of China has dropped significantly in very important countries of the continent, such as Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania. The Chinese maneuvers, however, are likely to significantly decrease the Western influence in Africa: it must be recognized that Beijing has operated wisely but not in a hidden way, certainly the great financial resources have favored the Chinese plans, but the response of the US and Europe has been too much less than what is offered by China; it is a political myopia that could have heavy repercussions in the long run because the garrison of Africa could, in the future, be decisive both in terms of economic power and of international political power; not for nothing Beijing is already operating a military base in Djibouti, which seems to represent the first point of support for the Chinese armed forces on the continent, which could be followed by other military installations. The dangerousness of this evolution must be framed in a context in which the Chinese country has diplomatic, economic and commercial relations with not only democratic governments, but also in countries where dictatorships govern it and there is respect for civil rights. On the other hand, even in China itself, rights are assured and this must be an alarm for a country that increasingly invests worldwide to become central and gain political significance not yet reached. Altering the African position in the world geopolitical framework can be a fundamental element to subvert the current delicate balances, but that represents a clear mortgage on the future not only of the African continent, but also on that of the global scenario.