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The Chinese president arrived Saturday in Dakar for a two-day visit during which several bilateral agreements must be signed. He will then travel to Rwanda and South Africa for a BRICS summit (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Senegal Saturday, July 21 start of a week-long tour to Africa, to strengthen economic ties between China and the continent, where Beijing multiplies cheap loans in exchange for mining resources and major construction projects. China has become Africa's first trading partner.
"Chinese interest in Africa is not new" notes Ruben Nizard, Coface's economist specializing in sub-Saharan Africa ( French insurance company for foreign trade) at franceinfo, Sunday, July 22. "Its investment stocks now reach 40 billion dollars" against 49 billion for France. Consequence: the economic ties are tightening, sometimes to the depents of environmental standards. Like Europeans and Americans, Chinese multinationals are often singled out for breaching environmental standards. However, China is not ready to abandon the continent, says Ruben Nizard: "There is a greater dependence today of Africa on China."
franceinfo: Why Africa Is it interested in China?
Ruben Nizard: Chinese interest in Africa is not new. At first, it was fueled by African raw materials, necessary for Chinese development. But China is investing more and more in Africa. Investment stocks in Africa are now worth $ 40 billion and are close to those of France, which stands at $ 49 billion. The imbalance is more in other places, in terms of certain vulnerabilities. The dependence of Ethiopia, Zambia or Angola is not the same as that of Côte d'Ivoire or Senegal. But there is a greater dependence today of Africa towards China.
This development of the Chinese presence in Africa is to the detriment of France and Europe?
Indeed, it is this is easily observed via foreign trade data. French market shares have been in constant decline for twenty years. Chinese market shares have continued to grow at an unbridled pace. France is not the only one to suffer the Chinese movement.
How do you see the future of this relationship between Africa and China?
The relationship between Africa and China is gone for last. This visit is another example of Chinese interest that does not falter for African countries. It's a safe bet that interest will not weaken either in the years to come. Europe's relationship with Africa will continue to be dictated by the various issues, including security and immigration issues. Economic interests are also important for Europe, which does not want to capitulate to the Chinese advance. It is not just a matter of confrontation, but also of partnering with China to work in Africa, in collaboration with African countries.
Multinationals are often singled out for dubious practices in ecology. Some observers say it's even worse with Chinese companies.
This is indeed a recurring criticism. African governments are also trying to deal with this type of inconvenience. In relation to labor law, quotas are set up to create local employment and prevent all jobs being taken by Chinese labor. It is becoming more and more part of the political debate and it will be more and more difficult not to respect certain criteria for Chinese companies, in the same way that it will be more difficult for the European or American multinationals [de ne pas respecter ces mêmes critères]. For example, environmental standards are not always respected. The African countries and China, however, are signatories to the climate agreements and are therefore on a trajectory that requires them to make progress in this area.
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