Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

Does China Want Africa to “Choose Sides”? Maybe a Little Bit

by Cobus van Staden
HEADLINE TRANSLATION: "With resources, markets, and votes, Africa has become a new arena for major powers."

China often assures African countries that they won’t be made to ‘choose sides’ in a new cold war. However, a recent op-ed by a prominent Africa-focused think tanker makes clear that Beijing increasingly sees the continent as a stage for geopolitical competition. 

Yao Guimei, the director of the Center for South African Studies at the China-Africa Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a key government-linked think tank, recently published an op-ed that laid out China’s views of how its direct competition with different global powers shakes out in Africa.

Lead the Conversation on China

Subscribe Today to Get Full Access to The China-Global South Project

Check Out Everything You'll Get With Your Subscription

The China-Global South Daily Brief delivered to your inbox at 6AM Washington time

Full access to exclusive news and analysis from editors based in the Global South

Transcripts of CGSP’s twice-weekly podcasts

Students and teachers with a valid .edu email address are eligible for a 50% discount off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Email us to receive a discount code.

You Might Like

China is Happy About Lula’s Win in Brazil, Despite Criticism

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s return to power could rejuvenate the relationship between Brazil and China and help to speed up the reform of the global order. So says Zhou ...

U.S., Europe Backseat Drivers in Africa: Expert

He Wenping, the Program Director at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of West-Asian and African Studies and one of China’s most prominent Africa experts, laid into U.S. and European efforts in ...

Publicly, China Says It’s Not Worried About Closer Japan-India Ties

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not formally respond to this week’s Japan-India summit, but as is so often the case, Beijing leveraged the sharp-tongued CPC-run Global Times newspaper to speak on its behalf. ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.