澳门六合彩

Over the last three decades, every Chinese foreign minister鈥檚 first overseas trip of the year has been to Africa.

The Biden administration has noticeably increased its focus on Africa. In December, it hosted a US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC. In January, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, visited Senegal, Zambia, and South Africa. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ethiopia and Niger. Now, Vice President Harris is in the midst of a trip to Ghana, Zambia, and Tanzania. All of this is welcome news.

The fact that China鈥檚 new foreign minister, Qin Gang, took his first overseas trip as foreign minister to Africa in January (visiting Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin, and Egypt) 颈蝉苍鈥檛 really news...only because over the last thirty years, every Chinese foreign minister has begun his year with a trip to the continent. During that time, China鈥檚 commitment to the rapidly growing and resource-rich continent has been punctuated by countless transactions and investments鈥攎ost notably in infrastructure and extractive projects.

China鈥檚 growing presence in Africa seems to have suddenly attracted the attention of many who haven鈥檛 always focused much on the continent, its people, and its potential role in global affairs. However, Washington and Beijing have each gone to great lengths to claim that its interests aren鈥檛 driven by what the other is doing. While in Ethiopia, Foreign Minister Qin said, 鈥淎frica should be a big stage for international cooperation, not an arena for major-force rivalry.鈥� In Senegal, Secretary Yellen said, 鈥淭his is not competition with China鈥攚e want to deepen our engagement with Africa.鈥�

While on his trip, Qin announced numerous Chinese investments in Africa, including in the new African Centers for Disease Control in Ethiopia, which China funded and built. The US was initially also involved in building the center, but withdrew its support due to concerns over China鈥檚 intelligence gathering. Quin also pledged support for reconstruction efforts throughout Ethiopia鈥檚 Tigray region, in which the two year-long war recently reached a ceasefire.

And it 颈蝉苍鈥檛 only China that is giving new priority to partnering with Africa. Russia鈥檚 Vladimir Putin recently announced that the second Russia-Africa Summit will take place in St. Petersburg this summer. At the first summit in 2019, 43 African heads of state were in attendance. In his announcement, Putin said, 鈥淥ur country is determined to continue building a full strategic partnership with our African friends, and we are ready to shape the global agenda together.鈥�

It seems implausible that America鈥檚 growing surge of interest in Africa 颈蝉苍鈥檛 related to the ever increasing global power competition. And while many African countries are facing significant economic challenges鈥攊ncluding the daunting need to create enough good paying jobs to meet the unprecedented number of young Africans about to enter the workforce鈥擜merican leaders should tread carefully as they describe why Africa matters.

The United Nations predicts that the world population will increase from 7.7 billion today to , with most of this growth coming from Africa. By 2030, young Africans are expected to constitute 42 percent of global youth. What鈥檚 more, by 2050, consumer and business spending on the continent is expected to reach roughly . All of that offers tremendous opportunities for global businesses, and for African leaders to better chart their own economic future.

But if our outreach to Africa is portrayed 鈥渟trategic competition鈥� or 鈥渟trategic investments,鈥� well, it鈥檚 hard to blame Africans if they think to themselves, 鈥淥nce again, it鈥檚 not about us and our needs, it鈥檚 about them.鈥澨� Make no mistake, there is a tremendous role that America can play in helping Africa鈥檚 potential to become a reality. Listening, asking how we can help leaders鈥攅specially young entrepreneurs鈥攑ursue their own hopes and dreams鈥hat wouldn鈥檛 be a bad place to start.

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This blog was drafted with the help of Carlotta Murrin.