The Chinese Foreign Minister has toured Africa. He visited five countries, including Egypt, Gabon and Benin. What is the outcome of this trip?
Every beginning of the year for more than three decades, Chinese diplomacy embarks on an African tour that shows the interest of the continent for the Middle Empire. With, this year, a triple challenge: beyond the political and economic relations to be consolidated, Beijing presents its new foreign minister, Qin Gang, appointed to his position on December 30, and it was also a question of countering the United States, only a few days after a USA-Africa summit that made the headlines.
The head of Chinese diplomacy is confined to visits to five countries. On the one hand, Angola was an inevitable destination as the Chinese influence in this country is strong. After 2002 and the internal crisis, Angola indeed appealed to China to rebuild itself, forging numerous economic and financial partnerships. More surprisingly, the Chinese Foreign Minister also visited Ethiopia, Benin, Gabon and Egypt. To do what ?
Beijing targets international institutions
As for Ethiopia and Egypt, it was mainly for Beijing to show its continental and regional influence. In this first country, the head of Chinese diplomacy inaugurated the new headquarters of the Center for Disease Control of the African Union (CDC Africa), whose construction Beijing financed. In Egypt, it is rather the Arab League which is in China's line of sight. If Beijing has forged partnerships with Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs also took advantage of his stay in Cairo to meet with the Secretary General of the Arab League.
But it wasn't just about influence. African natural resources are of great interest to China. Especially in Ethiopia. This irremediably led Qin Gang to propose to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed a postponement of the repayment of the debt, for an amount of around 4,5 million dollars. It remains to be seen what the head of Chinese diplomacy promised in exchange, who is eyeing the country's many natural resources.
Chinese debt cancellations and deferrals
Debt is also one of the main levers operated by China – the Middle Empire has paid out more than 150 billion dollars for two decades in debt in Africa. In Benin, Qin Gang signed a memorandum of understanding not on a postponement but on the partial cancellation of Chinese debt. And as so often, none of the counterparties negotiated with Cotonou leaked.
Finally, the only mystery of this Chinese tour in Africa will remain Gabon. On the spot, Qin Gang spoke with a Ali Bongo Ondimba who is currently seeking re-election in a chair. Beijing said it wanted to help Gabon, without any agreement being signed during this tour. Admittedly, the Middle Kingdom is Libreville's most prolific partner. But Gabon is currently looking to the Commonwealth, and there is no doubt that the country's new British partner would take a dim view of Beijing continuing to develop there. The Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, however, promised to help Bongo to "advance the Gabon Emergent Strategic Plan" and to engage in "win-win cooperation". Coming from Beijing, it's hard to believe this last promise...