Guinea-Bissau, Chinese leaders hold talks, upgrade ties, as experts warn of dependency risk

Guinea-Bissau and Chinese presidents held talks in Beijing on Wednesday (10 July), with the two leaders announcing that the relations between both countries will be elevated to a strategic partnership.
Umaro Sissoco Embalo, President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, who is in China for a 5-day state visit ending on 13 July, was hosted by his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping on Wednesday. Hailing long-enduring ties between both states, Embalo noted that “China has supported us before and after the founding of our country, and we have always stood together with China. China has not only helped Guinea-Bissau, but also helped the entire African continent.” After their talks in Beijing, the leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents in various fields including the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the economic development, customs inspection and quarantine, geology and mining.
The Bissau-Guinean president, who is currently ruling his country by special decree, bypassing parliament, has described China as an “indispensable partner” and praises China’s stance, saying the nation “never interferes in the internal politics of an African country.” But some experts and observers have highlighted the risk of Guinea-Bissau’s dependency on China. “The influence of China on Guinea-Bissau is undeniable, especially in economic terms,” said Diamantino Lopes, a Bissau-Guinean sociologist and China expert, pointing to the country’s immense over-reliance on Asian power. Since gaining independence from Portugal five decades ago, China has funded and carried out almost all infrastructure measures in the West African country, the analyst added. And “as we all know, there are no free lunches in international relations,” Lopes warned.