The Chinese press and think tank coverage of the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit is echoing the geopolitics-focused response from the Foreign Ministry. China’s state-owned nationalist tabloid Global Times set the tone by arguing that the summit is a continuation of Trump-era “America First’ approach, saying that “whether the U.S. is sincere in assisting African nations’ development remains a question”. 

• GLOBAL TIMES: “The US has been lambasted for not genuinely caring about African development as all of the country’s policies on the continent are predicated on how to defeat imaginary rivals in the region.”

• XINJING THINK TANK: “It is expected that during the summit, in order to cater to the feelings of African countries, the Biden administration will most likely not directly name China or force African countries to choose sides between China and the United States, but may hype [themes like] “economic coercion,” “debt traps” and “plundering of resources” [These talking points] continue to point the finger at China, both openly and secretly.

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