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As The US Slept, China

Captured Africa
China is mining Africa for its natural resources and currying favor with its peoples.

(corlaffra/Shutterstock)

John Mac Ghlionn

Sep 2, 2022 12:01 AM

O n August 25, the 5th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation

(FOCAC) took place in Beijing. According to an official press
release, Xi Jinping and Macky Sall, the Senegalese president and
co-chair of FOCAC, sent letters of congratulations to the forum’s
members. Huang Kunming, a key member of the Chinese
Communist Party’s Political Bureau, read both letters and
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delivered a keynote speech. As per the press release, Huang 70 de camere spatioase, Hotel
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emphasized the importance of deepening cooperation and complex hotelier din Prahova
Hotel Carpathia
collaborative efforts between China and Africa.

Why is the CCP so interested in Africa? The world’s fastest

growing continent, Africa is home to an abundance of natural
resources. Besides possessing 65 percent of the world’s arable
land, the African continent is home to almost a third of the
world's mineral reserves. Africa also boasts 10 percent of the
world’s fresh water sources, 40 percent of the world’s gold
deposits, 8 percent of the world's natural-gas reserves, and 12
percent of global oil reserves. This is news to many, I’m sure, but
not to the Chinese regime.

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Analysts desperately warn that the West, especially the U.S., must
not lose Africa to China. The warnings are coming far too late;
the continent may already be lost. Africa, home to 1.2 billion
people, has the youngest population in the world. Some 70
percent of sub-Saharan Africans are under the age of 30.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Ichikowitz Family
Foundation, a South African think tank, many of these younger
citizens consider China, rather than the U.S., to be the most
significant foreign player in Africa. By a ten-point split, 77-67,
young Africans surveyed were more likely to say that China had
significant influence on their country. When asked why they
ranked China above the U.S., respondents cited infrastructure
development and Beijing’s willingness to create job opportunities
across the continent.

Ivor Ichikowitz, one of the people responsible for the research,

told Voice of America that things used to be very different. “In
the first edition of the pan-African youth survey,” he said, “we
asked young Africans which country they believed had the biggest
influence on the continent.” At that point in time, “it was
without any doubt the United States.” Bear in mind that the first
edition of the survey took place in 2020, just two years ago.
Ichikowitz stressed that Donald Trump, the former president of
the U.S., “resonated with African youth,” because he “was seen as
a powerful, charismatic leader.” As “a consequence the United
States topped the list of most influential countries in Africa.”
Now, though, the perception of the U.S. has changed drastically.

While Western countries appear to be drifting away from Africa,

Beijing recently announced plans to waive debt owed by 17
African countries. To sweeten the deal, China plans to invest a
further $300 billion in the continent. It’s clear that, in return for
generous investments, the CCP demands access to influential
military and political personnel, as well as valuable minerals.

Much has been written about China’s infiltration of the so-called

“Lithium Triangle,” consisting of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile,
which accounts for 56 percent of the world’s lithium supply. Over
the years, China has acquired a number of mines in the three
countries. In the space of two years, between 2018 and 2020,
China invested $16 billion on mining projects in the triangle. In
an effort to create a near-monopoly in the lithium market, China
is also investing in Africa—specifically Zimbabwe, home to
Africa's largest lithium reserves.

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A key component in electric vehicle (E.V.) batteries, lithium is in

high demand. As the leading manufacturer of E.V.s, China needs
as much lithium as it can get. This explains the massive
investments in South America and Zimbabwe. Home to tons of
untapped deposits, Zimbabwe has been the recipient of sizable
cash injections from China. Take Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, for
example. Earlier this year, according to deVere Zimbabwe, the
Chinese company injected $300 million into its Arcadia Lithium
Mine. It also began “the construction of a processing plant to
produce 400,000 tonnes of lithium concentrate each year.”
Besides investing in lithium, China is also scouring the country
looking for diamonds. China is also influencing operations in
Botswana, the world's largest diamond producer.

Some 1,500 miles away, in Rwanda, the Chinese are busy mining
cassiterite, a mineral used in the construction of alloys, plates,
cans, and various containers. Miners who fail to please their
Chinese employers are tortured.

The influence China exerts over the African continent cannot be

emphasized enough. Just two years ago, the U.S. was considered
Africa’s number-one ally. Today, it has been not just dethroned,
but overtaken by its number-one global rival.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Mac Ghlionn

John Mac Ghlionn is a researcher and essayist. His work has been
published by the likes of National Review, the New York Post, the South
China Morning Post, and the Sydney Morning Herald. He can be found on
Twitter at @ghlionn.

Articles by John !

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