China’s Expanding Role in Africa: Implications for the United States

Thank you, and good afternoon. I am pleased to have this opportunity to make brief opening remarks, before we get to today's main event: discussion of the new Center for Strategic and International Studies report, "China's Expanding Role in Africa: Implications for the United States." I'd also like to acknowledge the participation in today's event of Ms. Sun Baohong from the Chinese Embassy, and welcome the opportunity for an open discussion of these issues.

As many of you in this room know, the topic of China in Africa has become fashionable lately. There have been numerous conferences and articles and discussion fora in recent months. Even in this crowded field, CSIS has raised the bar by having its distinguished team travel to China for on-the-ground contacts with the Chinese on this subject.

Not wanting to be left out, the State Department also hosted a conference on China in Africa in December, and we appreciated hearing from CSIS trip participants, who offered an initial read-out of their findings.

Attention devoted to China in Africa is not just an academic or policy fad. Rather, it reflects recent indicators of growing Chinese engagement in Africa. For example, the Chinese now import 30% of their oil from Africa. Chinese trade with Africa has quadrupled since 2002, albeit from a relatively low base. The Chinese are supporting UN peacekeeping operations, and now have more than 1300 peacekeepers deployed in Africa. And China has begun to take a more active role on the UN Security Council, which of course addresses many African issues.

In addition to these broader indicators of Chinese engagement, specific events have highlighted the growing ties between China and the nations of Africa. One prominent example was the third Forum on China and Africa Cooperation, sometimes called FOCAC, which convened in Beijing last November. It drew 43 heads of state and representatives from five other African nations - more than normally attend African Union summits. This event signified African leaders' serious interest in China and vice versa. It's appropriate that FOCAC is featured on the cover of the CSIS report.

This week, Chinese President Hu is in the midst of a tour of Africa - his third in as many years. The Sudan portion of the trip has attracted particular attention, and it brings into relief some of the challenges that the United States faces as we try to engage with China on countries whose records on human rights and democratic governance are poor.

The Chinese have been making a more concerted effort to reach out to the countries of sub-Saharan Africa in recent years. China's interests include access to resources, access to markets, and securing diplomatic allies. None of these is inherently threatening to U.S. interests. We do not see China's involvement, economic or diplomatic, in Africa as a zero-sum game. China has real interests in Africa and consequently will be engaged there. The important thing from the U.S. perspective is to encourage China to become involved in Africa in a way that supports international norms.

While our focus today is China in Africa, it is important that we see China's role on the continent within a broader context. After all, as the authors of this study note, "China's quest to build a strategic partnership with Africa fits squarely within Beijing's global foreign policy strategy and its vision of the evolving international system."

In that system, China has reemerged in recent decades as a major player economically, diplomatically, militarily, and in other spheres. This followed a long era of what they call the "hundred years of humiliation," in which Chinese believe their country was exploited and weakened by foreign powers. Formerly isolated, the Chinese government is now engaging in international organizations with gusto. Beijing sees involvement in international organizations as a "power multiplier," as well as a boost to the country's prestige This is particularly true of the United Nations Security Council, where China enjoys status as a permanent member.

The Chinese typically take a longer-term perspective than American government officials or private businesses. This has the virtue of making the Chinese incredibly patient at times. They are often willing to sow seeds in the international arena that may take decades to fully blossom. We need to keep this in mind as we engage them on Africa.

With respect to the U.S. approach to China in Africa and elsewhere, former Deputy Secretary of State Zoellick offered a framework in his call for a Strategic Dialogue with China. The purpose of this dialogue is to encourage China to serve as a responsible stakeholder in Africa and throughout the world, acting in ways that help bolster the global system and promote peace and prosperity, and exhibiting behavior commensurate with China's status as a global power.

There are a number of areas where we believe we may be able to cooperate with China in Africa: for example, by finding complementarity in our aid programs, continuing support for peacekeeping operations, and looking for opportunities to collaborate in the health sector, where both the U.S. and China have played a leading role on the continent. But deepening our cooperation will require extensive consultations with the Chinese, who remain skeptical of the benefits of coordinating programs.

There are also areas where our approaches differ greatly, especially with regard to governance, human rights, and transparency. In these areas, we need to be prepared for a sustained dialogue with the Chinese, since they clearly view foreign policy with long time horizons.

Under the rubric of the Deputy Secretary Zoellick's framework for strategic dialogue with China, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer traveled to Beijing in November 2005 for meetings with senior foreign policy leader involved in Africa. We consult frequently with the Chinese on African issues in the UN Security Council, and in other high-level contacts with Beijing. Just last month, President Bush's Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, visited China to consult with government officials on Sudan and Darfur. Also in January, the State Department's Director of Policy Planning met with his Chinese counterpart to discuss a range of issues, including our approaches to foreign aid. These specific consultations are in addition to our regular contacts with the Chinese on African issues through American embassies in Africa and our mission in Beijing.

Our overarching goal remains to see China become a responsible stakeholder in the global system, as befits its growing role in the international community. In many ways, we see China's involvement in Africa is a test case of its willingness to work toward the broader interests of the international system.

Again, I thank CSIS for the opportunity to make opening remarks today. I look forward to participating in this discussion, and I would like to commend the authors for this report. It illuminates China's role in Africa. And it offers many thought-provoking proposals for areas of possible further U.S. engagement with the Chinese.

Thank you.