By Amanda Platts
The race is on for the US to regain its status quo as the world leader and push out China with the showdown for this conflict that appears to be in Africa. During the US-Africa Leaders Summit last week, US President Joe Biden expressed his newfound interest in African countries. He asserted that “The United States is all in on Africa’s influence” which has been perceived as an attempt by Biden to re-assert US influence in Africa in order to counter growing Chinese involvement. However, given the entrenchment of Chinese influence in Africa including their techniques of debt-trap diplomacy, the US may struggle to rival Chinese influence.
According to the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, China has lent over $143 billion to African countries since 2000. While this has helped finance infrastructure projects and stimulate economic growth, it has also left some African countries with significant debt burdens. For example, Zambia’s debt to China currently exceeds its annual economic output, and the country is at risk of defaulting on its loans. This has raised concerns about the ability of African countries to repay their loans and the potential for them to fall into a cycle of debt and dependency on China.
