U.S. Strategy Vis-À-Vis China’s Presence in the African Continent: Description and Prescription

For the Biden Administration to break new ground in U.S.–Africa relations while curbing China's growing influence, reversing Trump’s actions is insufficient if it means simply returning to the pre-Trump status quo. Instead, for the benefit of both the U.S. and African countries, a bold new partnership framework is essential. China’s growing presence on the continent, which shows no signs of stopping, results from a fundamental respect of the power of African markets and resources, if not necessarily African people or African governments. The United States should differentiate itself by playing up its comparative advantages in engagement, innovation, and norm-setting. Engagement involves initiatives such as significantly increasing high-level visits to the African continent and vice versa, as well as expanding U.S. immigration paths for African students in the U.S. Innovation should be built around two pillars: rhetoric and certification. The U.S. should refrain from referring to Chinese financial flows as “investment” when not meeting equity requirements, while also providing assistance on certification systems for African infrastructure. Finally, in terms of norm-setting, the United States can once serve a global leadership role in pressing issues such as promoting COVID vaccination supply and supporting debt relief, actions which will reverberate beyond simply countering China.