german media: china is winning the "narrative battle" in africa
2024-09-08
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reference news reported on september 8on september 3, the german handelsblatt website published an article titled "a new power struggle around africa and what it means for europe", written by katrin veitch. the full text is excerpted as follows:
for many years, china has been expanding its influence across the african continent. james shikwati, an economist at the kenya interregional economic network, told the newspaper: "china's infrastructure projects have enabled african countries to trade, travel and establish intercontinental connections. now, we see other countries are also interested in this."
for europe, which has fallen behind china in the african market in recent years, competition on the continent is becoming more intense.
in addition to china, india and the uae are also competing for influence in africa. the kenyan government is currently in talks with india's adani group. the company hopes to invest in the expansion of kenya's jomo kenyatta international airport. kenya signed an agreement with the uae in april this year, mainly involving the mining of gold, copper and other raw materials.
"what we are seeing now is more and more opportunities for investment, trade and economic development," said nigerian political scientist owegwe eguigu. he noted that what african countries need to do now is to ensure that they are not caught between the front lines of geopolitical power transfer.
the effect can be seen in beijing starting wednesday, when the 2024 forum on china-africa cooperation summit kicks off in the chinese capital.
a week before the summit, kenyan president william ruto made it clear to au leaders in nairobi: "it is an indisputable fact that we in africa are now an important global player. we must turn this image into our advantage." ruto called it a "pan-african moment". for many african countries, this is the most radical transformation they have undergone since they gained independence from colonial rule in the last century, driven by rapid economic growth.
according to the international monetary fund, five of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies are in africa. the african continent will soon replace asia as the region with the fastest population growth in the world. africa also has the world's largest reserves of cobalt, platinum and uranium.
china, india, and the uae have long been aware of this. according to the american enterprise institute, in 2023, after a brief decline caused by the epidemic, direct investment from china alone hit a new record.
europe, on the other hand, is lagging behind. "we have completely missed this development opportunity," said a german entrepreneur in nairobi. he said that despite the huge trade opportunities in africa, in europe africa is almost only seen as a potential source of instability, terror and refugees.
the eu and the us are trying to re-expand their influence in africa. the eu has previously launched an investment offensive through the so-called "global gateway" program to counter china's "belt and road" initiative, half of which will be used for projects in african countries.
but the eu's work has been slow. africa's historical relationship with its former colonial powers still weighs heavily on many countries.
"europe is still largely stuck in its own strategy, and that gives china an advantage," said economist shikwati. europeans always come with a series of demands and often look at things from the perspective of development aid, while chinese investment focuses on the market economy.
a survey by germany's friedrich naumann foundation of african, european union and chinese participants showed that china scored highly for its neutral political stance and the speed with which projects were completed.
china road and bridge corporation built the 27-kilometer expressway through nairobi in less than three years from the idea to its commissioning. kenya and france have been unable to agree on the details of a 233-kilometer highway from nairobi to the west of the country for five years.
in nairobi, chinese mobile phone manufacturer oppo is using large outdoor screens to promote its latest smartphones. not far away, on a high-rise building in nairobi's central business district, is a huge promotional poster for another chinese mobile phone manufacturer, vivo. the cheapest model costs only 200 euros (1 euro is about 7.85 yuan - this website note).
oppo, huawei, xiaomi and other brands are the best-selling mobile phone brands in kenya. last year alone, the import volume of chinese smartphones increased by 70%.
adhere cavens, a kenyan business consultant, points out the reason for this success: "chinese companies send people here to conduct market research and tailor their products to our needs." this is something many western companies will not do, and they will wonder why business is not doing well.
"the chinese know what we are talking about when we talk about poverty. they bring products we can afford," cavens said. europeans never viewed africa as a market, "and china has overturned that view."
in an interview with french television, congolese president felix tshisekedi said he now prefers china and other countries to western countries.
"the west always makes moral demands that it itself has long failed to meet," said shikwati. countries such as china, india and the united arab emirates are clearly winning the battle for the narrative, at least in the eyes of many african countries. (compiled by jiao yu)
