The Global Gateway’s Real Challenge

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference on the Global Gateway at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on December 01, 2021. Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

With the EU-AU summit kicking off later this week in Brussels, I’ve been fielding questions from several journalists. They all kick off with one question: will the EU’s Global Gateway supplant the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa?

In answering with a firm ‘nope’ I always feel like a party-pooper. Even though official announcements of Global Gateway projects have steered clear of anti-China rhetoric, the initiative has been widely characterized as the anti-BRI, together with its American counterpart Build Back Better World.

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by Cobus van Staden

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