The United States and China are competing for markets and influence in a number of theaters around the world, none more so than in Africa. While Beijing’s “no strings attached” approach is certainly popular among Africa’s elites, the United States remains a potent economic and soft-power force. Yun Sun of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. joins us this week to talk about whether Sino-US engagement in Africa should be framed in terms of competition or cooperation?
Here are some of the links to Sun’s writing that we referred to in the show:
- The US and China in Africa: Competition or Cooperation?
- China’s Investment Experience in Africa: What It Means for the Region and U.S. Business
- Africa in China’s Foreign Policy
Yun Sun is a visiting fellow appointed by the Africa Growth Initiative, focusing on China’s relations with Africa and U.S.-China cooperation on the continent. Sun was previously a visiting fellow at the Center for Northeast Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC in 2011, where she focused on the analysis of China’s national security decisionmaking system. Yun was also the China Analyst for International Crisis Group (ICG) based in Beijing from 2008 to 2011, specializing in China’s foreign policy toward conflict countries in Asia and Africa. Prior to ICG, she worked in the Asia policy circle in Washington DC for five years. Her expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, US-China relations, and China’s relations with neighboring countries and authoritarian regimes. Yun earned her master’s degree in international policy and practice from George Washington University, an MA in Asia Pacific studies, and a BA in international relations from Foreign Affairs College in Beijing.
