Africa’s growing affinity for China draws both excitement and concern from observers the world over, while African leaders themselves seem drawn to the material benefits China is offering. What has China really done for Africa’s developing nations thus far?

The 2024 Beijing Summit was the first gathering of Chinese and African leaders since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. It enhances the strategic, all-weather nature of their relationships. The result was a repositioning of relations that will affect how China promote cooperation with African countries in the future.

China's engagement with Africa through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation highlights its strategic commitment to the continent, positioning itself as a robust alternative to Western influence.

The 2024 elections in Africa are pivotal. And as countries like South Africa and Rwanda navigate their elections, the future of their relationships with China—marked by substantial investments and strategic partnerships—will play a key role in shaping their economic trajectories and governance models.

The crisis in Sudan is being used by China as a platform to gloat about its efficiency in evacuating citizens from the embattled nation, adding to the narrative that China hopes to create where it can become the world’s leading superpower.

It’s not in China’s best interests to be trapped in a bilateral tit-for-tat with the United States. We can do better by reaching out constructively to other developed countries. We will win the contest if we can do this.

Qin Gang, China’s new foreign minister, began his term with a trip to Africa, where he reinforced his country’s longtime commitment to equality and respect for others. China-Africa relations are the “foundation of the foundation” and an ongoing priority in Chinese diplomacy.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi went to Africa, as is customary. But he also visited two Asian countries, a choice that signals China’s desire to break the U.S. attempt at containment.

The trip, in both its timing and content, was designed compete with China and expand American influence. Senegal, the U.S. Secretary of State’s last stop, happens to be the host country of the upcoming Eighth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Ministerial Conference. That’s no coincidence.

China’s deepening ties to Africa has shaken up the status quo, with positive and negative outcomes rippling across the planet. What does the rapid development of Africa and China hold for the future?