US-Africa-Influence -- {WEB}
Metadata
- US-Africa-Influence -- {WEB}
- January 26, 2023
- Top Chinese, Russian and American officials are scrambling this month to visit nations in Africa, the world’s fastest-growing continent. Several U.S. officials are in Africa, walking a fine line between their desire for Africa’s support against Russian aggression and Chinese ambitions, and their promise to do work that benefits the continent. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Washington.
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script US-Africa-Influence HEADLINE: US, Chinese, Russian Officials Scramble to Visit Africa TEASER: PUBLISHED: 1/25/2023 at 936p BYLINE: Anita Powell CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Washington SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Sharon Shahid, DJ (OK), PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 3:33 VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen TYPE: EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) Top Chinese, Russian and American officials are scrambling this month to visit nations in Africa, the world’s fastest-growing continent. Several U.S. officials are in Africa, walking a fine line between their desire for Africa’s support against Russian aggression and Chinese ambitions, and their promise to do work that benefits the continent. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Washington. ((NARRATOR)) Top Chinese, Russian and American officials have in past weeks flocked to Africa in what they say is a quest to build deeper partnerships. President Joe Biden said last month that he, too, plans to visit this year. Washington says this is not about countering Russian and Chinese ambitions, but about building meaningful relationships in areas such as business, health, and peace and security. [[Radio: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre]] ((Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary)) “Our partnership in Africa is not about — about other nations. Our partnership there, it’s — as demonstrated by our commitments at the U.S.- Africa Leaders’ Summit — the United States sees African countries as genuine partners and wants to build relationships based on mutual respect.” ((NARRATOR)) But the continent’s top diplomat says Africa — which was brutally colonized by European powers for centuries — is no one’s pawn. And, he added, China understands that. [[Radio: Moussa Faki Mahamat is chairman of the African Union Commission]] ((Moussa Faki Mahamat, African Union Commission Chairman)) ((French)) "Africa refuses to be seen as an arena for influence struggles. // We are open to cooperation and partnerships with everyone, as long as they respect our principles, our priorities and our interests. The partnership we have with China is built on these principles." ((NARRATOR)) But as the most senior visiting U.S. official said recently, these great-power rivals are keenly aware of one another's activities — especially as China and Russia flex their muscles globally. [[Radio: Janet Yellen is U.S. Treasury Secretary]] ((Janet Yellen, US Treasury Secretary)) "Many African countries are now plagued by high and unsustainable debt, and that's undeniably a problem. And much of it is related [to] Chinese investment in Africa. So, I think that's simply a factual statement. But this is not for us. This is not a competition with China. We want to deepen our engagement with Africa." ((NARRATOR)) Analysts say these two goals — real partnership, but also great power competition — are not mutually exclusive. [[Radio: Cameron Hudson is a consultant on Africa with the Center for Strategic and International Studies]] ((Cameron Hudson, CSIS Africa Consultant)) ((Zoom)) "All of these things can be true at the same time. However, we're not acknowledging that truth. We are acknowledging only one truth, which is that we want to see Africa develop. And I think it's just more complicated than that.” ((NARRATOR)) Analysts estimate that China has spent more than $1 trillion on its global Belt and Road Initiative, which builds infrastructure in the developing world. China maintains a strict stance of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. ((NARRATOR)) During his first trip on the job, China's new foreign minister rejected the notion of Africa as an ideological battleground — as it often was during the Cold War. [[Radio: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang]] ((Qin Gang, Chinese Foreign Minister)) "No country, no people, have the right to force African countries and its people to take sides. Africa should be a platform for international cooperation, not an arena for competition between major countries." ((NARRATOR)) The next top American official to visit in coming days will be Biden’s ambassador to the United Nations, who previously oversaw the continent at the State Department. And then presumably, Biden goes. The White House this week said there were no concrete plans to announce yet. Biden has framed the conflict in Ukraine as a struggle between democracies and autocracies. With Africa showing clear signs of democratic backsliding, Hudson wonders whether Biden will keep those ideals in front on African soil. ((Cameron Hudson, CSIS Africa Consultant)) ((Zoom)) “Or will he kind of ignore that or put that on a back burner so that he can build relationships that might advantage Washington at the U.N. or down the road politically?” So, will the president pack principle, or practicality — or both — when he makes the trip? ((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Location (dateline) Washington D.C.
- Embargo Date January 25, 2023 19:25 EST
- Byline ((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English