China's increasing influence in Africa: Regional and continental approach

As a rising power in the international system, China is keen on shaping the global rules, norms and practices according to its long-term strategy. Strengthening and consolidating its position in the regional and global organisations will help Beijing to secure more international clout while shielding itself from international scrutiny on sensitive issues. China is specifically increasing its engagements with the regional organisations
of the developing world, especially with countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with whom China is also intensifying its economic cooperation on a bilateral basis.
 
 In the recent years, China has developed its relationship with African Union (AU) politically, economically and even militarily. The relationship has been further institutionalized through China-AU Strategic Dialogue, participation of AU Commission in the FOCAC alongside individual African countries and the establishment of Chinese Permanent Mission to AU. China has also expressed support for plans to establish an AU Representational Office in Beijing. This shows that China is trying to move closer to AU and move beyond the bilateral mechanisms which China traditionally prefers. The Chinese diplomacy usually relies heavily on
government-to-government ties but the recent trends have marked a slight departure from this.
 
The symbolic construction and financing of the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa depicts the importance China levies to this relationship. It was later reported that China used its involvement in the construction to
“bug” the building. China, recently, also built the Integrated Service Project in AU Headquarters in Ethiopia.
 
China’s approach towards the continental organisation is mainly driven by security interests while the bilateral relations are mostly economic in nature. The security interests are vital in securing China’s economic activities on the continent and so far, China has mostly worked with the AU Peace and Security Council on maintaining peace and security on the continent. A section in White Paper on China’s Africa Policy 2015 delineates China’s relations with regional organisations mentioning “development planning, experience sharing in poverty reduction, health, peace and security and international affairs” as areas where China seeks cooperation with AU. In 2015, Xi Jinping announced in a UN speech titled “China is Here for Peace” that China would disburse US$ 100 million to the AU to build its standby force and rapid response capacity.

In April 2016, China also conducted the Human Rights Dialogue with AU at the AU Headquarters in Ethiopia which was expressed as a platform for sharing experience and best practices in the area of the promotion and
protection of human and peoples’ rights. The dialogue sought to share experience on issues related to Democratic Principles and the Rule of law in Africa and in China and enhance coordination on Human Rights issues
in international organisations and multilateral fora, such as the United Nations Human Rights Council. This can be looked at against the background that African people celebrated 2016 as the Year of Human Rights in Africa with Special Focus on the Rights of Women.
 
In 2018, the 7th China-AU Strategic Dialogue took place in Beijing between AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi where China iterated that it will cooperate with
AU in various fields, including transnational and transregionaln infrastructure construction, peace and security, public health, tourism and aviation. The dialogue supported the establishment of a representative office of the AU in China and advanced the integration between the AU 2063 agenda and the ten major China-Africa cooperation plans proposed by Xi Jinping in 2015. Overall, the dialogue sought to work together to intensify coordination in international and regional affairs, as well as promote peace and development in China, Africa and the developing world.
 
While China is increasing its economic, political and military cooperation with the AU, it is also actively seeking participation in the African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as the South African Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Similar to building headquarters for AU, China has also built headquarters for ECOWAS in Nigeria, a 32$mn grant to finance the regional headquarters. China’s increased cooperation with the regional and continental actors enhances overall cooperation with Africa as a whole and the regional engagements, in particular, are necessary to overcome the institutional challenges that bilateral and continental approaches face. The regional cooperation can provide better political leverage in securing investments in the region and promote economic development.
 
Africa accounts for more than a quarter of the member states in UN, and these engagements help China to win political allies. China, being a permanent member of United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a seat
that China obtained through massive African support in 1971, also supports African regional organisations and their voices at the UNSC on matters pertaining to peace and security and insists the Council to pay heed to their voices. Conversely, it has also been noted that at various instances African countries also support Chinese interests by choosing ton remain silent on sensitive issues such as Xinjiang and Tibet.
 
There are also speculations about AU’s funding, AU is dependent on both member states and external partners for funding, however, receiving funds from external partners can put AU’s autonomy in question.
 With continued efforts in strengthening its position in this web of regional and continental actors in Africa, China is building strategic influence in the region. This influence has tremendous advantage for
China in the international organisations, where the support of these political allies help China in securing its national interests and gaining clout that in turn shapes China’s relations with great powers.