Saturday, February 8, 2020

Are Bilateral Trade Pacts in Africa the Answer to China?

The Washington Post published on 7 February 2020 an article titled "Trump Says Free-Trade Pact with Kenya Will 'Probably' Happen--A First for Sub-Saharan Africa" by Max Bearak.

The United States seems to be ready to negotiate a free-trade agreement with Kenya, a first for a country in Sub-Saharan Africa. The only other agreement in Africa is with Morocco. Is this the U.S. response to competing with China in Africa? Bilateral trade agreements are probably a good thing for bilateral relations. If they are seen as the tool for reducing China's influence in Africa, they are likely to disappoint. How many countries in Africa is the United States really prepared to sign free-trade agreements? Not many, I suspect.