The move by the United States last week to sanction the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) could have far-reaching implications that extend all the way to Africa, where the state-owned construction giant has an enormous presence.

The U.S. State and Commerce departments imposed visa and export restrictions on 24 Chinese companies, including CCCC, for their involvement in building artificial islands in the highly-contested South China Sea. Although these new sanctions were specifically targeted at Chinese entities operating in the Western Pacific, there’s a real risk that African countries could become ensnared in this rapidly escalating confrontation.