War on the Rocks published on 18 February 2026 an analysis titled "China Now Finds Itself in Al-Qaeda's Crosshairs" by Colin Clarke and Lucas Webber, both with the Soufan Center.
Al-Qaeda-affiliated organizations in the Arabian Gulf and Africa are now including China as part of its enemy hierarchy due in large part to Beijing's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur population in Xinjiang Province.
The Associated Press published on 9 April 2025 an article titled "Beijing Ups Diplomatic Pressure on Africa as the US Pulls Back" by Dake Kang.
The government of China pressured Malawi and Gambia to withdraw from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group of lawmakers from 38 countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing. IPAC has coordinated sanctions on China over rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong and rallied support for Taiwan. These actions by China raise questions about its claims that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of African countries.
Comment: This policy by Beijing is consistent with its long-standing willingness to push back when African governments take exception to any of China's core domestic issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, island building in the South China Sea, and human rights policies.
The Hudson Institute posted on 26 April 2024 an hour plus podcast titled "South Africa's Historic Election: A Conversation with Inkatha Freedom Party National Spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa" and Hudson Senior Fellow Joshua Meservey.
The discussion between minute 37 and 1 hour and 2 minutes dealt with US-China competition in Africa and the Inkatha Freedom Party's (IFP) relations with China. (The IFP is South Africa's fourth largest political party.) The spokesperson criticized China's lack of transparency but emphasized that China is an economic powerhouse with money. Hence you have to take it seriously. He added it is important that South Africa pursue its own interests vis-a-vis both China and the United States, including a concern about human rights.
The IFP interacts with the Dalai Lama and Taiwan, both anathema to China, because of its historical relationship with them. The Chinese embassy in South Africa has expressed its unhappiness with the IFP. But the IFP also deals with China on a range of other issues and does not have an antagonistic relationship with China. The embassy extended a standing invitation to the IFP to visit China and Tibet. When pressed why African countries, including South Africa, have not been critical of China's policy in Xinjiang, the spokesperson replied that you dare not antagonize Beijing on such issues.
The South China Morning Post published on 14 August 2023 an article titled "How China's Communist Party Seeks to Win Friends and Influence Through Mideast Political Groups" by Zhao Ziwen.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) recently reached out to political parties in North Africa and the Middle East. More than 60 party leaders and think tank representatives from 19 countries were invited to the dialogue in China, which has been held every two years since 2016. At this event, the CPC promotes its governance model to Arab countries as a path to development.
TASS, the Russian News Agency, published on 31 May 2023 a press release titled "Putin Begins Talks with Visiting Eritrean President."
This is the first ever meeting between Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Comment: The visit follows Eritrea's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the only African country to take such a position. Russia has been seeking a military base in the Red Sea. It would not be surprising if this issue is on the agenda.
The visit to Moscow comes soon after President Isaias made a state visit to China. Isaias has been supportive of China's core domestic concerns such as Hong Kong, Tibet, human rights, and Xinjiang. For accounts of his visit to China see Aggrey Mutambo's "Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in State Visit to China" published by The East African on 20 May and Salem Solomon's "In State Visit, Eritrea and China Signal Deeper Partnership" published by the Voice of America on 22 May.
The Diplomat published on 17 November 2022 a commentary titled "Don't Overlook Xi Jinping's Meeting with Senegal's President" by Shannon Tiezzi.
As COVID-19 wanes, Xi Jinping is resuming his personal diplomacy. On the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, he held 11 formal meetings with foreign leaders, including Senegal's Maky Sall. The meeting underscored the common view of both leaders on sensitive human rights issues such as the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang.
The Associated Press published on 6 October 2022 an article titled "UN Rights Body Rejects Western Bid to Debate Xinjiang Abuses" by Jamey Keaten.
The 47-member UN Human Rights Council in a victory for China voted against holding a debate on alleged human rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang region. The proposal supported by the United States, Turkey, United Kingdom, and mostly western countries received 17 positive votes, 19 against, and 11 abstentions.
Among African members, only Somalia supported the proposal while 8 countries (Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Gabon, Mauritania, Namibia, Senegal, and Sudan) voted against and 4 countries (Benin, Gambia, Libya, and Malawi) abstained.
For a breakdown of the vote, see the Voice of America's 7 October 2022 "Human Rights Groups, China Voice Strong, Opposing Reactions to UN Vote" by Asim Kashgarian.
Aljazeera published on 10 April 2022 a commentary titled "Russia's New World Order Is Bad News for Africa" by Tafi Mhaka, Johannesburg-based political commentator.
The author noted that Beijing and Moscow are calling for a new multipolar world, but not any reforms that would diminish the enormous influence they have in world affairs. Putin's popularity is at an irrational and possibly dangerous high in Africa despite the illegality and brutality of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Africa does not need the repression of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Africa should chart its own world order that is defined by strong, independent, and democratic multilateral institutions.
Canada introduced on 22 June 2021 at the UN Human Rights Council a "Joint Statement on the Human Rights Situation in Xinjiang." It expressed grave concern about the situation in Xinjiang and commented on the deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong and human rights situation in Tibet.
Forty-four countries, mostly European, a few Latin American and Pacific Island nations, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and the US signed the statement. Not a single country in Africa signed.
Politico published on 22 April 2021 a commentary titled "How the U.S. Can Eclipse China in the Battle over Africa" by Cobus van Staden.
The author argues the US has a long way to go in Africa to catch up with China's engagement. First, the US needs to show up.
Comment: While China may have pulled away from the the US on economic engagement, when it comes to security issues other than arms sales, most African states turn to the US or another Western power for assistance.
The National Interest published on 24 October 2020 an article titled "Why the Muslim Middle East Supports China's Xinjiang Crackdown" by Adam Lammon.
The author suggests that Arab countries, including Morocco and Egypt in North Africa, and non-Arab Muslim countries in the Middle East support China's crackdown on Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang for several reasons. First, China has strong economic ties with most of these countries and can use these ties for political leverage. Second, the leaders of these countries loathe political Islam, which they associate with terrorism. They are willing to accept China's explanation for the crackdown on Uyghurs as a counterterrorism campaign.
The Diplomat published on 9 October 2020 an analysis titled "2020 Edition: Which Countries Are for or against China's Xinjiang Policies?" by Catherine Putz.
Twenty-one African countries endorsed a recent statement authored by the Cuban permanent representative to the United Nations supporting China's human rights policies in Xinjiang. The signatories included predominantly Muslim Comoros, Egypt, Guinea, Morocco, Sudan and several with significant Muslim minorities. Interestingly, however, four African countries--Algeria, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Somalia--that endorsed a similar letter in 2019, did not sign on in 2020.
In a rejoinder to the statement by China's permanent representative to the United Nations (see 6 October below), the permanent representative of Germany issued a statement on behalf of 39 mostly Western countries in the Third Committee of the UN. It expressed grave concern "about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the recent developments in Hong Kong."
While 9 African countries joined the Chinese-drafted statement critical of human rights in the US and EU countries, no African or Middle Eastern country joined the German-drafted statement critical of China.
The Royal United Services Institute published on 3 August 2020 a commentary titled "China in Africa's Looking Glass: Perceptions and Realities" by Hangwei Li, University of London, and Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa, Hoja Law Group.
The authors argue that China needs Africa as much as Africa needs China, especially as China tries to increase its soft power globally. The bargaining power of African leaders is increasing as they seek to play a greater role in multilateral affairs without becoming a pawn in China-US disagreements.
