China Is Gaslighting the Global South

Foreign Policy posted on 5 April 2024 a commentary titled "China Is Gaslighting the Developing World" by Robert A. Manning, Stimson Center. 

The author argues that it is unclear if the Global South really wants "a post-American future--let alone a Beijing-dominated one."  China's vision of multilateralism and equality are camouflage for its own hegemonic ambitions.

Most of China's initiatives are aimed at delegitimizing and displacing U.S. power.  China envisions the BRICS, for example, as "a Sino-centric network," a competitor or eventually even replacement for the Bretton Woods institutions.

The author concludes: "China appears, at best, an immature great power, its aspirations far exceeding its grasp and appeal.  Beijing's wannabe post-U.S. order faces a legitimacy deficit." 

The Role of Ideology in PRC-Africa Relations

 The Hudson Institute has just published a study titled "The 'China Dream' and the African Reality: The Role of Ideology in PRC-Africa Relations" by James Barnett.

The author argues that Beijing seeks to provide developing world elites with a malleable intellectual and practical program for advancing illiberal governance.  This ideological element is present in China's approach to Sub-Saharan Africa.  The Communist Party of China's overall impact on African politics should not be overstated, however.  Ideological affinities matter, but economic interests play a greater role in moving African states into Beijing's orbit.