‘Africa is no one’s pawn’, says AU chief, as top US, Chinese, Russian officials tour continent

Top American, Chinese and Russian officials — US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — are all scrambling to visit several African nations in January to pledge their countries’ commitment to the world’s fastest-growing continent.

As President Joe Biden prepares for a visit to Africa later this year, several of his top officials have recently visited Africa. Yellen has reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to deepening relations and trade with Africa during a visit to Senegal, Zambia and South Africa amid competition across the continent from China and Russia. The US must balance the desire to secure the continent’s support against Chinese ambitions and Russian aggression with their promise to work to benefit Africa. Russia’s Lavrov, meanwhile, accused the West of pressuring developing countries to align in favor of Ukraine. His remarks were made in Angola’s capital city on Wednesday January 25 at another stage of his African tour openly seeking international support.

On a visit to Zambia, meanwhile, Yellen said it was crucial for the country to address its heavy debt burden with China. Beijing responded by asking Washington to stop pressuring Beijing on debt relief for Zambia and instead focus on averting a government default at home, which could have repercussions for the global economy. As Washington and Beijing are vying for influence in Africa, where Chinese banks are major lenders, Yellen pushed to expand US trade and business ties. But African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat says Africa, which was brutally colonized by European powers for centuries, is no one’s pawn. “Africa refuses to be seen as an arena for influence struggles,” said the continent’s top diplomat. “We are open to cooperation and partnerships with everyone, as long as they respect our principles, our priorities and our interests.”