US-China Artificial Intelligence Competition in the Global South

 The Atlantic Council published on 20 November 2024 an analysis titled "Assessing US-China Tech Competition in the Global South" by Hanna Dohmen.

The Global South is enthusiastic about using AI applications.  The US has most of the world's leading AI firms and applications.  China's approach to collaborating with the Global South on AI is significantly different than that of the United States.  China is promoting a centralized regulatory framework that does not align with that of the US and its allies.  

The US needs to offer a compelling vision for AI that resonates with the needs of developing nations while upholding values that ensure a fair and inclusive future.  

China-US 5G Competition in Africa

 Rest of the World posted on 9 August 2021 an article titled "The Race to Build Africa's 5G Networks Is Entangled in a U.S. Push to Cut Huawei's Dominance" by Abubakar Idris.  

The article looks at US telecoms vender Parallel Wireless to break into the 5G market in Africa. Parallel Wireless is based on open source technology called Open RAN, which promises to allow telecom operators to use different venders for different pieces of their 4G and 5G networks.  The US is pushing the global internet into one that is US dominated and another that is China dominated.  Parallel Wireless and Open RAN are gaining market share in Africa but face severe competition from China's Huawei and ZTE.  

China Looks to Expand Digital Engagement with Africa

 Ghana Web posted on 30 August 2021 an article titled "China Proposes China-Africa Partnership Plan on Digital Innovation."

China is working to expand its digital engagement with African countries to include 5G, smart cities, cybersecurity, E-commerce, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure.

Comment:  Part of China's goal is to encourage Chinese digital norms among African countries that compete with or replace Western norms.  

Kenya Rejects US Claims that China's Huawei Equipment Used for Spying

 Kenya's Business Daily published on 29 March 2021 an article titled "Kenya Dismisses US in Chinese 5G Spy Claims" by Brian Ngugi.

Kenya's cabinet secretary for ICT rejected US government claims that the use of China's Huawei in the roll out of the Safaricom fifth generation (5G) network risks exposing the country to Chinese spying through the high speed networks.

Chinese IT Technology Penetrates Middle East and Africa

 The Middle East Institute published in March 2021 a report titled "Chinese Technology in the Middle East: A Threat to Sovereignty or an Economic Opportunity?" by Thomas Blaubach.  

China's Belt and Road Initiative is trying to reorient the Eurasian-African economy toward Beijing through infrastructure deals and the Digital Silk Road, which seeks to connect the global economy using Chinese technology led by companies like Huawei, ZTE, and Hikvision.

Ways for Africa to Negotiate Huawei and the 5G Challenge

 The China Africa Project posted on 20 January 2021 a commentary titled "The Huawei Fuss and Implications for Africa's Cyber Security" by Henri Kouam, a Yaounde-based research fellow for the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundations.  

The author offers suggestions for African countries to deal with the cyber security issues surrounding China's Huawei company to control the 5G market on the continent.

Huawei's 5G Hits Speed Bump in Kenya

 Wee Tracker, an African research and media company, posted on 5 January 2021 an article titled "For Huawei, A Botched Deal with Safaricom Could Be Fatal."

Kenya's Safaricom, the largest telecommunications company in East Africa, has "put on hold" its plan for China's Huawei to upgrade its equipment to 5G.  The reasons for the setback are not clear, but it could herald more trouble for Huawei's sales in Africa.  In the meantime, some African countries are turning to Nokia and Ericsson to upgrade to 5G. 

South African Companies Go Forward with Huawei 5G Equipment

 My Broadband posted on 18 August 2020 an article titled "Huawei 5G Equipment Not Under Threat in South Africa" by Bradley Prior.  

Huawei equipment is prevalent in South African 5G networks and is a key part of bringing faster mobile connectivity to the country.  My Broadband interviewed three primary consumer 5G network providers--Vodacom, MTN, and Rain--about their views on the use of Huawei equipment.  All three are using Huawei equipment and expect to continue the practice although they said they take security issues seriously.