Joe Biden’s Build Back Better World Partnership(B3W), was created as an alternative to China’s close relations with African countries in terms of financing major infrastructure projects.
Construction began on the 1860 -kilometer long Tanzania-Zambia Railway in 1970 and finished in 1975 by Chinese engineers and technicans, much to the demise of Southern African racists and apartheid governments.
That’s how long China has been financing and building bridges in Africa. It didn’t start with the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) 8 years ago, and it won’t end due to the G-7 Nations endorsement of B3W plan to invest and loan hundreds of billions of dollars into poorer nations, many located on the African continent.
Africa is getting up from its knees, beginning to walk, and it appears Biden and his European allies are looking for a front seat at the table, because this continent which is one big land mass, is truly blessed with much of the world resources. And they need help when it comes to infrastructure and integration. Slamming China for issuing high interest rate loans that bordered on theft of property when payments aren’t met, didn’t work for Trump nor his predercessors.
China is interested in stability when it comes to business relations; they are not a big fan of Democracy as we know it in Western Culture. That’s why they are heavily involved in the building of railroads, roads, dams, mining and agriculture from Kenya to Angola, Egypt and all points beyond. Democracy is not one of their strong points, developing Africa and making money at the same time is. Isn’t that the spirit of Capitalism?
On the flipside, America and European Union are always pushing democracy and democratic elections, failing to realize that you must have a track record of keeping the country together in order to have free and fair elections. Otherwise it will explode in your face. Al-Sisi in Egypt has been described by many as a dictator and I agree. But Egypt has been governed by Pharoahs and strongmen for milleniums, and today it is moving up the latter as far as having a strong economy, along with military and energy gains. Ahmed Abiy the Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace prize winner is turning out to be not so peaceful, and is beset by war in the Tigray region of his country. Museveni is a dictator in Uganda and will not relingish power without a war. Both Biden and China know this but only China in the past has invested heavily in these autocratic governments.
Biden is demanding free and fair elections in Ethiopia and Abiy should make peace with Tigray fighters or big time sanctions will be applied. He is withholding funds so badly needed for that country’s development, even though the rest of Ethiopia is stable. China will do business with undemocratic governments, they don’t want to get heavily involved with the politics of these countries.
Ghana, a country in West Africa is a democracy going back to Jerry Rawlings, and they have an educated workforce, strong economy and blessed with many natural resources, but they need help in building ports, railways, mining and Cocoa production industries. Ghana is not a poor country. Will Biden and his EU cronies sit back and allow China to get the lion’s share of this feast, in fear of investing heavily because of the possibility of instability?
Biden says he wants to invest hundreds of billions of dollars for infrastructure relief into poor and middle income countries in years to come; but it must be Value-Driven, meaning transparency and high standards are at the forefront. These aforementioned countries are all in for B3W, but he must allow some leadway for not so democratic government to indulge, if they are stable.
Tanzania is another sound country with plenty of natural resources, China along with Turkey have invested heavily in infrastructure; building dams, ports and railroads for regional integration. Will it be BRI or B3W?
In any case China is not deserting Africa. We will see how much Biden and G-7 nations want to improve infrastructure in Africa.
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