Iran War Accelerates China's Strategy in Africa

 The Conversation published on 15 April 2026 a commentary titled "China's Africa Strategy Is Shifting and Iran Conflict Will Speed It Up" by Lauren Johnston.

China seeks to bring greater balance to China-Africa trade and industrialization by integrating China and Africa supply chains and economic development.  The war in Iran has shocked the global economy and its energy supply chains.  This is speeding up China's new approach to the Global South, which the author calls the Hunan model.  

A Smarter "America First" Policy for Africa

 Foreign Policy published on 19 May 2025 a commentary titled "The 'America First' Case for U.S. Engagement in Africa" by Curtis Bell and Christopher Faulkner, both at the U.S. Naval War College.

Instead of retreating from Africa, the Trump administration should embrace a smarter form of transactionalism.  The authors argue that US policy toward Africa should refocus around four strategic priorities: supporting resilient and self-sufficient regional organizations; curbing threats to US security at their source; fostering African support for US positions in international institutions; and co-developing a positive economic vision for the continent that promotes economic development and integration while resisting extractive and abusive economic practices of rival global powers.

Podcast on African Conflict and Development

 The UK-based Centre for African Conflict and Development posted on 22 July 2024 a 44-minute podcast with me titled "Austerity Measures, Right to Protest and Police in Kenya, Africa" hosted by Michael Nwankpa.  

Although focused on Kenya, the host asked questions on a variety of topics ranging across Africa allowing me to offer views on numerous topics based on my association with Africa dating back to the early 1960s.  

Africa: Choosing between Russia and the United States

 The Atlantic Council posted on 1 May 2024 a commentary titled "With Africa's Minerals in Demand, Russia and the US Each Offer What the Other Can't" by Alexander Tripp.

The author argues that African countries must choose wisely between the United States and its economic development support and Russia and its direct military support.  Juntas and dictatorships will likely choose Russia as it offers equipment and military support they need to stay in power.  Russia and the United States will continue to offer what the other can't.  

Chinese Authors Argue China Is Better at Industrializing Africa Than Is the West

 Wenhua Zongheng: Quarterly Journal of Chinese Thought published in October 2023 an edition titled "China-Africa Relations in the Belt and Road Era."

It contains the following articles:

--Editorial: China and Africa's Attempts at Industrialization by Grieve Chelwa, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research

--How Can China Contribute to the Continent's Economic Development? by Zhou Jinyan, Shanghai International Studies University

--China's Belt and Road Initiative and African Industrialization by Tang Xiaoyang, Tsinghua University

The articles by the Chinese scholars essentially argue that the West has failed to offer Africa a successful model for industrialization and China can do it better.  

Panel Discussion on Biden Administration's Africa Strategy

The Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute hosted on 20 September 2022 an hour long discussion titled "The Biden Administration's New Africa Strategy" moderated by Charles A. Ray.  The participants were Aurelia Brazeal, retired ambassador, Franklin Moore, former deputy assistant administrator for Africa at USAID, and me.  

The discussion covered most aspects of the Biden administration's policy in Africa, including areas where there needs to be more attention. 

China-Africa and Supply Chains

 The Beijing-based China-Africa Business Council just published a report titled "Chinese Investment in Africa 2022: China-Africa Cooperation from a Supply Chain Perspective."

The report addresses China-Africa supply chain cooperation against a background of global events that included a serious challenge to public health and regional conflicts.  Africa's economic development faced multiple disturbances to global supply chains, blockages of regional African supply chains, and breakages in national supply chains.  

Do Chinese Firms Contribute to Economic Transformation in Africa?

 The Journal of International Development published in 2022 a study titled "Economic Transformation in Africa: What Is the Role of Chinese Firms?" by Linda Calabrese and Xiaoyang Tang.

The literature on the role of Chinese firms in the economic transformation of Africa suggests they have a positive impact.  Africa-China trade leads to mixed results, while Chinese investment and infrastructure construction contribute positively to transformation. 

Ethiopia, Refugees, and Economic Inclusion

 Refugees International published in June 2021 a report titled "From Displacement to Development: How Ethiopia Can Create Shared Growth by Facilitating Economic Inclusion for Refugees" by Jimmy Graham and Sarah Miller.  

Ethiopia is home to about 800,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea.  The conflict in Tigray Region has complicated the refugee situation.  The report argues that the Ethiopian government must seek long-term solutions to hosting refugees, moving away from its long-standing system that restricts most refugees to camps with limited economic activity and toward a system that allows for greater refugee economic inclusion.

US Formally Lifts Sudan Sanctions

The Washington Post published on 14 December 2020 an article titled "U.S. Lifts Sudan's Designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism" by Max Bearak and Naba Mohieddin.  

The United States formally rescinded on 14 December Sudan's status as a state sponsor of terrorism, removing Khartoum's biggest barrier to accessing international lending institutions and economic development.

Some Personal Comments About Africa

George Washington University's The Globe asked me to comment on US perceptions about Africa in a piece published on 7 December 2016 titled "A Conversation with Ambassador Shinn." I emphasized that the media tend to focus on negative stories about Africa and give scant attention to the positive ones.

Africa and President-elect Trump

The Hill published on 15 November 2016 a commentary titled "Why Trump Should Make Africa a Foreign Policy Priority" by J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council's Africa Center.

Pham makes the argument for the importance of Africa in U.S. foreign policy during a Trump administration.

China's Special Economic Zone in Mauritius: A Cautionary Tale

The China Africa Project put online on 14 August 2015 a 23-minute podcast titled "China's Special Economic Zones in Africa: Lots of Hype, Little Hope" with James Wan, editor of the Royal African Society's editorial site African Arguments.  The title is something of a misnomer as the interview is confined to the problems experienced by the special economic zone in Mauritius.  Wan attributes the problems in Mauritius to the poor timing of the project just ahead of the Western economic crisis in 2007-2009 and the selection of Chinese companies to run the zone that were inexperienced in Africa.  Wan concluded that it may be necessary to reconfigure the zone before it can become successful.  

China Radio International Program on President Obama's Trip to Africa

China Radio International hosted on 31 July 2015 a 54 minute program devoted mostly to President Obama's recent visit to Kenya and Ethiopia.  The four persons on the program were Liu Guijin, former Chinese ambassador to South Africa and China's special representative for African affairs, Ronald Mutie, Kenyan journalist based in Beijing, Timothy Kitui, lecturer at Kenya Methodist University, and myself.  The conversation covered both US-Africa and China-Africa relations. 

Eritrea Rejects Devastating UN Human Rights Report

The UN Human Rights Council released on 5 June 2015 the lengthy "Report of the Detailed Findings of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea."  The Commission concluded that systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations have been and are being committed in Eritrea under the authority of the Eritrean government.  

The Eritrean foreign ministry declared the UN report was "totally unfounded and without merit" and said it constituted "extreme charges and indecent hyperbole" according to a 10 June 2015 report by Reuters.

China's New Silk Road

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) published on 12 February 2015 an excellent commentary titled "China's New Silk Road" by Nadege Rolland, senior project director for political and security affairs at NBR. 

The author argues that the Silk Road economic belt aims to integrate China's neighbors more closely with the Chinese economy, enmeshing them in a network of trade ties, transportation links, and multilateral institutions that will have China at their center, enhancing Beijing's influence over the weaker, poorer nations that surround it. 

China's Alternative Diplomacy: Implications for Africa

The Diplomat published on 30 January 2015 an excellent commentary titled "China's Alternative Diplomacy" by Zheng Wang, director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

While the focus of the commentary is on China's periphery in Asia, it has implications for Africa.  The basic argument is that China under Xi Jinping is creating new international platforms that China can control or substantially influence while it retains its engagement with traditional institutions such as the World Bank and IMF.  While these new platforms are mostly economic, the goal is to ensure China's long-term security and strategic objectives throughout the world.  Africa remains on the margins of these security concerns but does come into play as a major source of oil and minerals and a region where Chinese interests are already subject to harm.  Terrorist groups in Africa are potentially even a source of support for the minority Muslim Uyghur population in western China.  The new BRICS development bank is an example of China's alternative diplomacy relevant to Africa. 

New York Times Reports on Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam

The New York Times published on 11 October 2014 a good update on Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam titled "Dam Rising in Ethiopia Stirs Hope and Tension" by Jacey Fortin.  The dam is now 32 percent complete. 

Tanzanian President Discusses Economic Development Prospects

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete discussed his country's development prospects at Chatham House in London on 31 March 2014.  A transcript of his remarks is now available.

Panel on US, China, Africa Sister Cities on 28 March in Washington

Sister Cities International is hosting its 2014 US-China Sister Cities Conference in Washington this week.  While the conference is by invitation only, on 28 March there will be a special session open to the public that addresses ways for US, Chinese, and African cities to collaborate on urban poverty and economic development issues in African cities. 

The event is co-hosted by Sister Cities International and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. on 28 March at 1779 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.  The panelists include:
--Oluseyi Atanda, Osogbo-Asheville Sister Cities Chairman
--Albus Brooks, Denver Councilman
--Busta Chiona, Zomba City Council Chief Preventative Health and Social Welfare Officer
--James Montague, Raleigh-Xiangyang Sister Cities Committee Chair
--Chris Storh, Urbana Sister Cities member
--Xu Changming, Kunming Foreign Affairs Office Deputy Director

For directions to the panel session, go to Day 3 at the bottom of the 2014 US-China Sister Cities Conference program.  You can register for the US, China, Africa panel session by going to programsai@sister-cities.org.