Description: On the sidelines of the China – Africa cooperation meeting (FOCAC) held in Changsha, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that China would sign a new economic pact lifting all tariffs on 53 African states it has diplomatic ties with. The move comes in line with increased global economic insecurity caused by the US tariffs and the novel constellation of multi – lateral relations on a global scale. China is currently the largest trade partner, lender and creditor making the Asian country one of the most influential countries along Africa in the moment. According to the latest trade data concerning China and Africa, the latter supplied goods to the second largest global economy exceeding $170 billion in 2023, making the African countries one of the largest suppliers of food, ore, raw materials and oil.
Impact: The latest reports on China’s creditor foreign policy stated that the country is currently the leading lender on a global level. Speculations around China’s strategy of economic codependence with African nations have been debunked, as Beijing has decided to double down on their Belt and Road Initiative undertaking more than 53 countries across the African continent. In the absence of US influence and presence, mostly crippled through the USAID program, China would continue to expand its influence building consistent and dependent partnerships with resource – rich African countries which would further strengthen the country’s position in their strategic ambition of overtaking the US geopolitically. African countries can offer China deficient resources such as oil, gas, raw materials which would improve China’s position in the unstable framework agreement established earlier with the US. The initiative ensures Chinese strategic longevity on the African continent in the long – term which would eventually enable China to adopt multi – vectored foreign policies in achieving its numerous global strategic ambitions.