As outgoing US President Joe Biden landed in Angola for his only official visit to the African continent during his term of office, President Xi Jinping made a technical stopover in Casablanca, Morocco, on his way back home from his state visit to Brazil on November 21, 2024.
President Xi met the official delegation of Moroccan King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, and Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch at a special welcoming ceremony held at the airport.
As expressed by both parties, the two parties share strong bonds of friendship, cooperation, and solidarity. Following this visit, authorities in Beijing and Casablanca indicated that the two parties have forged strong practical cooperation and vibrant exchanges in various fields, broadly shining the light on growing extensive mutually beneficial bilateral and multilateral cooperation between China and African countries.
The stopover in Morocco marks the sixth time Xi Jinping has visited Africa, showing Beijing’s commitment to forging strong relations with the continent.
During the meeting in Morocco, both parties reaffirmed their readiness to work together in following through on the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the 10th ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, as well as various cooperation initiatives across various fields within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, reasserting strong win-win relations not only with Morocco, but the African continent at large.
During this same period, Biden fulfilled his promise to visit the African continent during his term by finally landing in Angola. Washington touted Biden’s trip to Angola as a high point illustrating the commitment of his administration, and the US in general to reboot its diplomatic reproachment with Africa.
Biden has often openly stated that the US is back in Africa, reflecting the recent interest in Washington to focus attention on a continent that the US has often overlooked, only except in cases where American security interests were largely concerned, and in some cases in situations related to humanitarian concerns.
Many analysts have noted that Biden’s visit to Angola was a legacy issue after he openly made indications that under his tenure, Washington was keen to intensify engagement with, and in the African continent, refocussing relations towards economic partnerships.
However, as important as the visit to Angola is for both bilateral and multilateral engagement purposes, it might be too little too late.
More importantly, the US, and the West in general may need to shift their attitudes towards Africa, to honestly rethink the historical context, and structural nature of all nurture of past and present partnerships with the continent.
If, as many observers have said, the recent US, and broader Western overtures to the African continent are merely motivated by competition with China, and in particular, the fact that they are losing a foothold on African natural resources to China, then such thinking is likely to falter.
There is no doubt that the US, and the EU, are belatedly coming to the party, seeking some practical foothold in a continent that has forged deep, multifaceted socio-economic, political, and cultural relations with Beijing.
Beijing does not carry historical colonial baggage, or a record of promises which were not fulfilled. If anything, Beijing has proved that once a promises or commitments are made, China will follow up, implement, and fulfil all promises to the African continent.
While the West was involved with basically all aspects of failed government policies through the Bretton Woods institutions, amongst other avenues of influence, which triggered serious economic, social and political costs in the continent, including conflict and collapse of some governments, Beijing consistently supported political independence in Africa, the sovereignty and self determination of Africa governments and states, while providing non-conditional political and economic support, laying a foundation for contemporary mutually beneficial relations, and respect not just amongst political structures, but communities from all sides.
There is no doubt that since the December 2022 US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, DC, the Biden administration has tried to increase its Africa engagement through its Africa network through official visits and amplified talk of bilateral and multilateral investment, mostly private sector led initiatives.
Together with the EU, the US championed the launch of the Lobido Corridor initiative, touted as the alternative infrastructure development model to the Chinese backed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The US and the EU view Angola, as the main pivot to the Lobido corridor, which includes Zambia, the DRC and Tanzania, in their efforts to harness these parties into Western interests into accessing the rich critical and rare earth mineral resources in these countries, and the region.
While Biden’s visit may suggest that Luanda is drawing closer to Washington’s diplomatic obit as an important partner in Africa, and potentially, some African countries as well, there are many challenges and issues that must be dealt with first.
The Lobito Corridor initiative looks like an emerging model of US, and Western relations with Africa, however it has not yet fully taken off.
Compared to the BRI and FOCAC in terms of benefits to African countries, even with all the challenges that many analysts have pointed out, African governments would still prefer the later, based on historical political trust, and mutually beneficial economic, social, political, and diplomatic partnerships.
The US and Western powers support for colonial regimes, and direct interference in the domestic affairs of African countries cast a troubling shadow on efforts to reshape relations. US historical interference in Angola in support of broader American interests, and the reactionary rebel movements highlights the character of historical Western machinations in the continent.
There are many cases in Africa, where Western powers historically undermined the sovereignty and self-determination of African states, sowing the seeds of deep mistrust that has pervaded efforts at smooth diplomatic relations.
The US government only formally diplomatically recognised the government of Angola in 1993, after its first multiparty elections in 1992, and 27 years of civil war in which the US played a debilitating role.
For 15 years following Angola’s independence in 1975, the US backed South Africa’s apartheid government in supporting the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) rebel movement, which sought to overthrow the government of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).
UNITA stands out as the second largest recipient of US covert aid after the Afghan Mujahadin until 1992. While relations between Luanda and Washington recently improved, China played a major role in fostering ties which fuelled rapid growth of its post-conflict economy.
The Lobido Corridor project is informed by the need to secure strategic mineral supply chains for US and European technology industries while demonstrating that the West can deliver on infrastructure projects in Africa, an area where China has broken new ground, vastly forging strong relations with the African continent.
Ironically, as Biden landed in Luanda, he was most probably ushered through Chinese financed and or constructed infrastructure. China has been the major investment and development partner in Angola, and for Africa since the early 2000s.
In addition to the BRI, and FOCAC, such initiatives as the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) are crucially redefining global relations based on community of shared modernisation, peace, security, and prosperity. China has strongly demonstrated its commitment by strongly aiding and investing in Africa, sharing knowledge, resources, and skills, when the West overlooked the continent.
As Africa-China partnerships in infrastructure development, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and other economic sectors focus on mutually beneficial cooperation, and advancing toward higher-quality development, it is evident that US and Western gestures are probably too little too late.
Efforts between China and Africa to synergise the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative with the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the Africa Free Trade Agreement moulded around the development strategies of African countries can only deepen economic ties, while spreading the benefits of development to all parties.
Under the platform of the FOCAC, China and African nations have jointly implemented the ten cooperation plans, eight major initiatives, and nine programs, to continuously improve and upgrade China-Africa cooperation.
China remains Africa’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, demonstrating the strong resilience and vitality of China-Africa cooperation, and mutually beneficial relations which anchors development in African countries, as well as in China, uniting these important communities of the global south.
Gideon Chitanga, PhD, is a Post Doctoral Researcher at the Centre for Africa China Studies, University of Johannesburg.