中國外交官湧入非洲以應對西方魅力攻勢 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Chinese diplomats flock to Africa in response to Western charm offensive (2/2)

SCMP Sun, July 17, 2022 at 2:30 AM

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But even countries of less importance to China - such as Malawi, Burkina Faso, Togo and Burundi - are included from time to time, Shinn said.

"Occasionally, senior officials pay a visit because of a special event such as an independence celebration or a serious problem that requires high-level attention," he said.

Zajontz, also a lecturer in international relations at the University of Freiburg in Germany, said Yang is China's top foreign-policy maker after President Xi Jinping so his visits are "of particular diplomatic importance".

He added: "His recent trip to Harare is a courtesy visit to one of China's most loyal allies in the region."

He said that under Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was trained in China during the liberation struggle, Chinese investment has flourished, not least in infrastructure and the mining sector.

Chinese companies have recently acquired more lithium mines in Zimbabwe and now run Africa's largest steel plant south of the capital, Harare.

"One could say Zimbabwe is becoming the new Zambia for Beijing, as Harare has opened the country's doors widely for Chinese investors," Zajontz said.

He said the fact that Mozambique will assume a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in January played a role in Maputo being on Yang's itinerary. He said Chinese economic interests in Mozambique are diverse, spanning the energy, mining and agricultural sectors, and the Mozambican government used the visit to ask Yang for help in rehabilitating the country's 2,000km (1,200-mile) north-south EN1 highway.

Zhou said Yang's visits to Africa were more political and he visited on behalf of top Chinese leaders.

"As the highest-ranking official in charge of diplomacy, Yang pays visits to African countries nearly each year," he said. "This shows the importance China pays to Africa and the developing countries."

Among the geopolitical reasons for visits to Africa by Chinese officials are increased Western engagement with the continent.

For instance, the European Union-African Union Summit held in February shows the EU is increasing engagement with Africa and investment in the continent. High-ranking officials from the US departments of state and commerce paid visits to Africa in the past months, and the second US-Africa leaders' summit will be held later this year. Japan will hold the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Tunisia next month.

"It means the major countries are giving more importance to Africa, and this will lead to closer interactions," Zhou said. "I think this could benefit African countries if new commitments, investments and financing increase."

Zajontz said the growing frequency of visits by high-level Chinese officials across the continent must be seen in the light of a recent Western charm offensive in Africa, including pledges to provide alternative infrastructure and development projects to those offered under China's Belt and Road Initiative.

"It is evident that Chinese and Western leaders are engaged in an increasingly competitive contest for political influence in African capitals, while a scramble for strategic minerals and markets in Africa is under way," he said.

Translation

Shinn說: “但即使是對中國不太重要的國家 - 如馬拉維、布基納法索、多哥和布隆迪 - 也不時包括在內” 。

他說： “偶爾，高級官員會因為獨立慶祝活動等特殊事件, 或需要高層關注的嚴重問題而進行訪問。”

同樣是德國弗萊堡大學國際關係講師的 Zajontz 表示，楊潔篪是繼習近平主席之後中國最大的外交政策制定者，因此他的訪問 “具有特殊的外交意義” 。

他補充說： “他最近對哈拉雷的訪問,是對中國在該地區最忠誠的盟友之一的禮節性訪問。”

他說，津巴布韋在總統 Emmerson Mnangagwa 的領導下，中國投資蓬勃發展，尤其是在基礎設施和採礦業。Emmerson Mnangagwa在解放鬥爭期間在中國接受培訓。

中國公司最近在津巴布韋收購了更多的鋰礦，現在在首都哈拉雷以南經營著非洲最大的鋼鐵廠。

Zajontz 說: “人們可以說津巴布韋正在成為北京的新贊比亞，因為哈拉雷已經為中國投資者大開了該國的門戶” 。

他說，莫桑比克將在 1 月份擔任聯合國安理會非常任理事國席位，這使Maputo可出現在楊潔篪的受訪行程中發揮了作用。他說，中國在莫桑比克的經濟利益是多元化的，涵蓋能源、採礦和農業部門，莫桑比克政府利用這次訪問向楊尋求幫助，以修復該國 2,000 公里（1,200 英里）的南北 EN1 高速公路。

Zhou說，楊潔篪對非洲的訪問更具政治性，他是代表中國最高領導人訪問的。

他說: “作為最高級別的外交官員，楊潔篪幾乎每年都會訪問非洲國家” ; “這表明中國對非洲和發展中國家的重視。”

中國官員訪問非洲的地緣政治原因之一是西方與非洲大陸的接觸增加。

例如，2 月舉行的歐盟-非洲聯盟峰會表明，歐盟正在增加與非洲的接觸和對非洲大陸的投資。過去幾個月，美國國務院和商務部的高級官員訪問了非洲，第二次美非領導人峰會將於今年晚些時候舉行。日本將於下個月在突尼斯舉行第八屆東京非洲發展國際會議。

Zhou說:“這意味著大國更加重視非洲，這將導致更密切的互動” ;“我認為，如果新的承諾、投資和融資增加，這可能會使非洲國家受益。”

Zajontz 說，在西方最近在非洲發起的魅力攻勢背景因素下，看到中國高級官員訪問非洲大陸的頻率越來越高，其中包括承諾提供替代基礎設施和發展項目，以取代中國之前 “一帶一路”倡議下提供的項目。

他說: “很明顯，中國和西方領導人在非洲首都的政治影響力競爭日益激烈，而爭奪非洲戰略礦產和市場也在進行中” 。

So, it is clear that Chinese and Western leaders are engaging in an increasingly competitive contest for political influence in African countries, one thing interesting is that Russia, after its isolation by EU and G7 countries due to its aggression in Ukraine, is also trying to enhance its relations with countries in Africa.