Armstrong Economics posted on 24 August 2026 a commentary titled "China and Egypt Unite" by Martin Armstrong.
The author argues that Washington never seems to understand that trade and geopolitical influence go hand in hand, citing the case of China's influence in Egypt. The United States sees Egypt in a military context while China looks at Egypt as a commercial gateway connecting three continents.
Vietnam.vn published on 28 August 2026 an article titled "The Geopolitical Race for Influence, Resources, and Power in Africa" by Bao Quoc Te.
The competition for expanding influence in Africa involves more actors than ever before and is constantly evolving. Most African countries are benefiting from the increasing attention by more external countries.
The Washington Post published on 27 August 2026 an editorial titled "How the U.S. Can Beat China in Africa's AI Race."
Software developers across Africa are adapting Chinese models to build applications tailored for African users. But China has no monopoly on AI projects in Africa. In compute, the US has far more to offer than China. The US needs to revive its Power Africa initiative, which came to an end when the Trump administration dismantled USAID, in order to support African data centers.
Graphika, an intelligence platform based on digital relationships, coordination, and the movement of information across networks, published on 25 August 2026 an analysis titled "Umbrae Ex Machina: Mapping Russian Ghostwriting Operations Across African News Outlets."
Russia has been planting ghost reporters and fake experts in African media to advance its strategic interests on the continent. This report provides an overview of the English-and French-speaking network of Russian ghost reporters in Africa. It identified 44 ghost writers and fake experts who were active between 2021 and 2026. Their media content was duplicated or quoted on 138 websites and republished on at least 113 Facebook accounts.
Brookings published on 27 August 2026 a commentary titled "Don't Let the Iran War Distract the United States from Africa" by Landry Signe.
The Iran war risks distracting the United States from Africa when competition for critical minerals, trade, and alliances with African countries become more intense. China, France, Russia, UAE, and India are accelerating their engagement on the continent, meaning any American retreat will come at a high geopolitical opportunity cost.
Al-Monitor published on 26 August 2026 an article titled "China's Xi to Visit Egypt for First Time in Decade as Military, Huawei Ties Grow" by Jack Dutton.
President Xi Jinping will make his first visit to Egypt in a decade next week. The visit comes after the beginning of a joint military air exercise and as Huawei seeks to supply more than 2,000 advanced AI chips for Egyptian government data centers. Huawei's move prompted Washington to consider backing a rival offer from US technology companies.
Eurasia Review published on 26 August 2026 an article titled "Interview with Professor David Shinn" by Kester Kenn Klomegah.
This is a brief interview focused on the impact of Chinese and Russian-led multipolarity in Africa. While many African countries have taken advantage of the multipolar world to improve their situation, there is nothing static about the current engagement of external players in Africa. The alignments today may look very different in a year or two.
The Congressional Research Service published on 6 August 2026 a paper titled "China-Sub-Saharan Africa Ties and U.S. Policy" by Nicolas Cook, Lauren Ploch Blanchard, and Michael D. Sutherland.
China presents its engagement in Africa as promoting mutually beneficial economic development without imposing political conditions. In practice, China seeks to use integrated multidimensional engagement to advance its broader global strategic goals of expanding its international influence, strengthening its access to natural resources, and challenging US global leadership.
Economic activity is a central pillar of China's activity in Africa. Beijing's policy banks and state-backed lenders have extended numerous loans to African governments and other actors, making China a key bilateral creditor on the continent. China engages in education and media cooperation, and provides development aid via grants and concessional loans, technical assistance, and humanitarian programs. Security cooperation between China and African countries has grown, especially over the last decade.
The Institute for Security Studies published on 14 August 2026 a paper titled "US-China Rivalry Puts Africa's Climate Diplomacy to the Test" by Dhesigen Naidoo.
China has been a consistent signatory of the Paris Agreement while the Trump administration withdrew from it during both its first and second iterations.
The author argues that Africa must maintain a positive climate-action approach while navigating the American anti-climate stance. US support for fossil fuel-based development has gained momentum, slowing Africa's pathway to low carbon development.
Vietnam's VN Express published on 16 August 2026 an article titled "Africa's Biggest Airport Project Puts Chinese Firms on Shortlist" by Phan Anh.
Chinese state-owned companies have been short-listed for 15 of the 33 places for Ethiopia's $12.5 billion international airport outside Addis Ababa. No US company made the shortlist, but Boeing supplies most of the aircraft for the Ethiopian Airlines fleet.
The project requires more than $9 billion in external funding. This is the most expensive aviation project ever undertaken in Africa.
The South China Morning Post published on 13 August 2026 an article titled "US-China Rivalry Takes Flight Over Scramble for Contracts at Ethiopia's Bishoftu Airport" by Jevans Nyabiage.
American private sector companies and Chinese state-owned companies are competing for contracts concerning the construction of Africa's largest new airport outside Addis Ababa and the supply of equipment to Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest.
Semafor published on 3 August 2026 an article titled "Africa's Space Race Is Becoming Washington's Next China Challenge" by Yinka Adegoke.
Chinese companies have provided bundled satellite packages--combining hardware, launch services, financing, infrastructure and training--to more than 20 African countries. The US, by contrast, has focused on satellite data, technical training, and regulatory cooperation rather than hardware. This may leave Washington at a structural disadvantage.
The New York Times published on 5 August 2026 an article titled "China's A.I. Is Surging Across Africa. That Should Worry Silicon Valley" by Paul Mozur, Adam Satariano, and Aaron Krolik.
China's AI is surging in Africa where buyers look for the best possible system at the lowest possible cost. The Chinese systems are publicly available to download and modify without payment or approval. Xi Jinping is using AI as a form of Chinese soft power.
Business Insider Africa published on 30 July 2026 an article titled "Ethiopia's $12.5 Billion Airport Has Become the Latest Investment Battleground between the U.S. and China in Africa" by Solomon Ekanem.
The United States is seeking a role for its private sector companies in the development of Ethiopia's new $12.5 billion Bishoftu Airport as it challenges China's commanding position of building infrastructure projects in Africa by its state-owned companies.
The United States sees this as an opening for its construction and engineering companies and an opportunity to sell more Boeing aircraft to Ethiopian Airlines. In addition, the Bishoftu Airport is a gateway to influence Africa's fast-growing aviation, logistics, and technology sectors.
Asia Times published on 27 July 2026 an article titled "China's Zero-tariff Play Aims to Lock in African Loyalty" by Bob Savic.
China's zero-tariff access for 63 countries--53 of them in Africa--is a deliberate geostrategic lever in Beijing's long-term competition with the United States and Europe for influence in the Global South. It is designed to offer unfettered, predictable, and large-scale access for African exports in contrast to protectionist markets in the United States and Europe.
The zero-tariff policy also positions Africa's growing population as a significant long-term market for Chinese goods and services and helps China to shape the rules of global commerce.
Comment: While this may be China's goal, it must still deal with the fact that Beijing exports far more to Africa than it imports from Africa, and the initial evidence suggests that the zero-tariff policy is not having a significant impact on this situation.
Reuters published on 28 July 2026 an article titled "US Backs Madagascar Rare Earths Project in Push to Loosen China's Supply Chain Grip."
The US International Development Finance Corporation agreed to commit up to $4.84 million for pilot plant work, laboratory testing, and environmental programs of a $150 million rare earths project in Madagascar. The deal highlights Washington's effort to develop alternative sources of minerals controlled by China.
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies published on 23 July 2026 an analysis titled "Losing Control of the West's Longstanding Interests in Seychelles" by Wojciech Pawlus.
The author suggests that the West is losing out in the democratic Indian Ocean archipelago of Seychelles to India, China, Russia, and the Gulf States. He believes the current government is becoming more autocratic and urges Washington, Brussels, London, and Paris to reach out before it is too late.
CNBC published on 17 July 2026 an article titled "Xi Pitches China as AI Partner to Developing World, Warns Against Risks and Security Overreach" by Lim Hui Jie.
China is reaching out to various blocs of nations in the Global South to build partnerships concerning AI. The blocs include ASEAN, African Union, League of Arab States, and the BRICS.
Aljazeera published on 17 July 2026 an article titled "China's Xi Jinping Launches New AI Alliance: What Is It?"
Beijing is casting itself as a leader of the global AI order, challenging the position of the United States. China announced last week a coalition of 29 nations called the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) with a headquarters in Shanghai. Founding members include South Africa and Senegal.
In the meantime, Washington is retreating from global cyber and AI norms-setting processes and withdrawing its financial backing for cyber diplomacy more broadly.
The Middle East Council on Global Affairs, a policy research institution based in Doha, Qatar, published on 16 July 2026 a commentary titled "Iran War Intensifies U.S.-China Rivalry in Africa" by Mustapha Boudoumi.
Disruptions to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted the strategic importance of African choke points such as the Suez Canal and Bab el-Mandeb. The situation in Iran has put increasing focus on China-US competition for critical minerals in Africa.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute published in June 2026 a report titled "Pressure Points Part 3: China in the Pacific and Indian Oceans" by Joe Keary, Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, and Linus Cohen.
The study contains a discussion on mapping China's security engagement, trends and analysis, China's growing presence, how major players are responding, and China's future in the Indian Ocean.
