African Governments Now Have to Worry About Becoming Collateral Damage in the Rapidly Escalating U.S.-China Feud Over COVID-19

Just as every African government is now contending with the terrifying prospect of a deadly viral outbreak while scrambling to deal with deteriorating economic conditions at home, policymakers also have to confront the possibility of being dragged into a rapidly escalating dispute between the United States and China.

While relations between the Trump and Xi administrations have been strained for some time, ties have become even tenser in recent weeks as COVID-19 made landfall in the United States. At issue is the origin of the deadly virus. President Trump now refers to  it as the “Chinese Virus,” a characterization that Beijing finds highly objectionable. At the same time, the Chinese government has launched a global campaign aimed at sowing doubt about whether COVID-19 actually originated in Wuhan, even going so far as to suggest that the U.S. Army may have “brought the epidemic to China.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

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.