Chinese Communist Party Diplomacy in Africa

 Megatrends Afrika published in October 2024 a policy brief titled "Pragmatic, Strategic and Wide-Reaching: The CCP's Party Diplomacy in Africa" by Christine Hackenesch and Julia Bader.  

The policy brief analyses recent patterns and motives of China's party diplomacy in Africa.  It finds that the CCP maintains close ties with the main ruling parties in southern Africa and in some countries in East Africa, while engaging with a broad range of parties in countries in North Africa.  Beijing's party diplomacy in Africa seeks to promote China's core foreign policy interests, advance an alternative narrative on global China, and normalize China's authoritarian system.

The U.S. and Europe Challenge China in Angola

 The Wall Street Journal published on 21 January 2024 an article titled "How the U.S. Is Derailing China's Influence in Africa" by Michael M. Phillips.

The United States is challenging Beijing's commercial dominance in oil-rich Angola, Africa's largest recipient of infrastructure loans.  Angola rejected a Chinese bid to rehabilitate and operate freight service along the Lobito Corridor and granted it to a U.S.-backed European consortium.  The U.S. Export Import Bank is lending Angola $900 million to buy American equipment for solar projects and a $363 million loan guarantee for an American company to sell steel bridges.  The U.S. is also looking to sell miliary equipment to Angola.

Comment:  While this is a major success for U.S. commercial policy, it only concerns Angola and not the other 53 countries in Africa as the title of the article implies.  The U.S. still has a long way to go if it wants to challenge China commercially throughout Africa.   

China-Angola Relations

 Modern Diplomacy published on 30 July 2022 a commentary titled "The Angola Factor in China's Relations with Africa" by Shivangi Basu, intern at the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement.

The focus of the commentary is on China's interest in Angola's natural resources, especially oil and diamonds.  

Is Angola's Honeymoon with China Coming to an End?

 The Observer Research Foundation published on 26 July 2022 a commentary titled "Angola's Honeymoon with China Ends but Will that End Its Woes?" by Malacha Chakrabarty.  

Heavily dependent on loans from China for most of the 21st century, Angola is trying to rebalance its relationship with China and the West.  China may have overexposed itself as it provided more loans to Angola than any other African country.  

Evolution of Angola Away from China

 The South China Morning Post published on 12 July 2022 an article titled "Jose Eduardo dos Santos: The Angolan Leader Who Looked to China to Fund Reconstruction" by Jevans Nyabiage.  

Former Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos died recently at age 79 after 38 years in power.  He was a key Chinese ally in Africa; Angola became China's most important African source of oil and the largest recipient of Chinese loans on the continent.  After dos Santos stepped down from power in 2017, Angola has moved closer to the West.  

Evolution of China-Angola Relations

 Democracy in Africa published on 1 November 2021 a commentary titled "Sino-Angolan Relations: Old Oil and New Politics" by Dominik Kopinski, University of Wroclaw. 

Since the beginning of the 21st century, Angola has improved its agency with China.  While it has improved its negotiating skills, however, it has not effected any real structural change in the relationship with China.   

Russia To Help Angola Manufacture Military Equipment

In Depth News posted on 7 April 2019 a story titled "Angola Plans Manufacturing Russian Military Equipment" by Kester Kenn Klomegah.

Russia has reportedly agreed to help Angola develop a local manufacturing capability for certain military equipment. Russia has been the principal supplier of military equipment to Angola since it began supporting the MPLA in the 1960s.

Communist Party of China Solidifies Ties with Six African Ruling Parties

IPP Media posted on 17 July 2018 an article titled "African Freedom Parties Team Up in New Leadership College Venture" by Aisia Rweyemamu. China is building and financially supporting a $45 million Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Tanzania with the engagement of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The six ruling African political parties involved in the project are Tanzania's CCM, Angola's MPLA, South Africa's ANC, Namibia's SWAPO, Mozambique's FRELIMO, and Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF. The school will offer short, mid, and long-term training in political ideology and leadership skills with the aim of hastening the economic liberation of Africa.

Zimbabwe's The Herald published on 17 July 2018 an article titled "Groundbreaking Ceremony of Julius Nyerere Leadership School Held." The article reported a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping that the CPC is taking the opportunity of this leadership school to enhance exchanges with political parties in Africa so as to jointly promote the construction of a closer community with a shared future for China and Africa.

The Daily Maverick posted a commentary by Susan Booysen on 1 August 2018 titled "Hues of the ANC's Chinese Homecoming" on the ANC's connection with the Tanzanian-based leadership school and the longer relationship between the CPC and the ANC. It appears that the joint school in Tanzania will substitute for a national ANC political school in South Africa that has been under discussion with China.

It is interesting that southern African countries such as Zambia where political power has changed from one party to another party or those such as Botswana where democracy is more firmly implanted are not part of this project. This begs the question: should one conclude that the six ruling parties that are part of the project expect to remain in power in perpetuity?