Why the United States Struggles to Compete With China in Building African Infrastructure: Report

A school pupil walks across a Chinese-built bridge over the Congo River. Image: Caroline Thirion / AFP

When it comes to building infrastructure in Africa, the U.S. dreams of competing with China, but in reality, there is hardly any contest to speak of. This is the main thrust of a new report by the Chinese research body, the Institute for International and Area Studies, a think tank at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The report argues that policy lies at the heart of the gap: China’s is consistent, practical, and effective, while U.S. policy is haphazard, reactionary, and flawed — when it had any policy or interest at all.

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by Barry van Wyk

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