Reality Check: Africa is an Important Source of Oil for China, But Not THAT Important

With this week’s warning from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that China’s growing presence in key regions like the Middle East, Africa, and even Europe presents a new challenge for the western military alliance, social media quickly saw much discussion about what’s motivating China’s expanding military and geopolitical influence. Conservative commentators in the U.S. such as Brad Schaffer from the Daily Caller speculate that oil is a driving force behind China’s expanding presence in places like Africa.

This chart, published in October, produced by the European Council on Foreign Relations provides some useful context showing that Africa, with the exception of Angola, plays a relatively modest role as a major source of oil for the Chinese.