From September 4-6, 2024, African leaders gathered in Beijing for an annual summit with the aim of addressing the continent’s growing debt crisis and discussing China’s expanding role in Africa. African leaders, including 20 heads of state, attended the summit, with countries like Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia, all heavily indebted to China, looking for financial relief. However, while Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $51 billion in new investments and the creation of a million jobs over the next three years, the absence of debt relief left many African nations without a clear path out of their financial struggles.
Xi described the China-Africa relationship as “the best in history,” but criticisms about China’s methods have intensified. Allegations of China engaging in “debt trap diplomacy,” where loans to economically vulnerable nations are used to secure control over key assets, have gained traction. Concerns about exploitation, resource control, and human rights abuses, particularly in mining sectors such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have become central to the crisis ignited by critical voices like Voice of America (VOA).
The Reality of Resource Exploitation and Human Rights Violations
One of the most contentious aspects of China’s involvement in Africa is the mining sector, particularly in the DRC. Chinese-owned companies dominate cobalt extraction, a key mineral used in the production of smartphones, electric vehicles, and other high-tech industries. Reports of child labor and human rights abuses in Chinese-controlled cobalt mines have been widely documented. According to a 2023 U.S. Department of Labor report, the DRC’s mining industry continues to practice some of the worst forms of child labor, with children as young as six working in hazardous conditions to extract cobalt.
Chinese businesses like CMOC Group, Jinchuan Group, and Wanbao Mining, which hold major stakes in DRC’s cobalt and copper mines, have been implicated in these labor abuses. Beyond labor exploitation, there are allegations that Chinese-funded companies have fueled corruption and funded insurgencies to secure their operations in Africa. A 2020 investigation by the U.S. Environmental Investigation Agency revealed that China’s illegal logging activities in Mozambique helped fund violent insurgencies and facilitated money laundering.
While these practices deserve global condemnation, the broader issue is the systemic exploitation of Africa’s resources by external powers. The crisis stoked by VOA and other Western outlets often frames China as the sole villain, but Western corporations have also long engaged in exploitative practices across Africa. The cobalt mines, now largely under Chinese control, were once dominated by Western companies, who are still deeply involved in the DRC’s extractive industries. This raises the question: are the Western criticisms about China’s role in Africa driven by genuine concern for African welfare or merely a geopolitical competition for access to Africa’s wealth?
Mr. Fikrejesus Amahazion’s Role and Western Targeting
Amid this crisis, VOA published a piece targeting Fikrejesus Amahazion, an Eritrean educator and research analyst, accusing him of downplaying the predatory nature of China’s involvement in Africa. Amahazion, who works at the Eritrean Center for Strategic Studies, has been an outspoken defender of China’s role, emphasizing the benefits of Chinese investment in infrastructure and job creation. In an interview with “China Says”, a Chinese state-affiliated media outlet, Amahazion argued that much of the criticism of China’s engagement with Africa stems from Western geopolitical interests rather than a genuine concern for African development.
VOA’s criticism of Amahazion—characterizing him as an apologist for China—can be seen as part of a larger effort to discredit pro-China voices in Africa, particularly those from countries like Eritrea. Both Eritrea and China are under Western sanctions, and Eritrea’s strained relations with the West have pushed it closer to Beijing. For countries like Eritrea, aligning with China offers an alternative to the West’s historical dominance and its paternalistic approach to African development.
Amahazion’s involvement in this crisis reflects Eritrea’s broader geopolitical stance. Eritrea, having been isolated by the West, has found an ally in China, whose investments help fill the gaps left by Western sanctions. The criticism of Amahazion, therefore, must be seen in the context of the Western desire to counter China’s growing influence in Africa and to discredit African voices that challenge the Western narrative.
Africa at a Crossroads: Internal Progress or External Dependence?
The real issue facing Africa, however, goes beyond the China-West rivalry. Africa, with a population whose average age is just 19, is at a crossroads. The continent must decide whether to continue seeking solutions from global superpowers, or to chart its own course, focusing on internal peace, stability, and development. Africa’s young population is a powerful asset, but it also represents a massive challenge. Political instability, economic inequality, and external exploitation continue to hinder Africa’s ability to tap into its vast potential.
The legacy of colonialism has left Africa with deep scars—economic dependency, arbitrary borders, and weakened institutions. However, Africa’s future must not be shaped by external powers with competing interests. Whether it is China’s “debt trap diplomacy” or the West’s legacy of resource plundering, both China and the West have proven willing to exploit Africa’s vulnerabilities for their own benefit.
For African nations to secure a prosperous future, they must focus on internal reforms, building transparent institutions, and fostering unity. The path forward cannot lie in the arms of powers like China or the West, both of whom are primarily driven by their own strategic interests. Instead, African nations need to prioritize their own development agendas—addressing poverty, education, and economic diversification—and pursue partnerships that truly align with their national interests.
The Wake-Up Call for Africa
As Africa confronts these external pressures, the continent must wake up to its internal challenges. There is a clear need for a united and strategic approach to development, one that does not rely solely on external loans and investments that come with heavy strings attached. The young population of Africa must be empowered with education, skills, and opportunities that can fuel homegrown solutions to its problems, rather than looking for refuge under the jaws of global superpowers.
While external partnerships can be beneficial, Africa must be wary of falling into another cycle of dependency. Both China and the West are vying for control of Africa’s natural resources, and neither can claim the moral high ground. The real concern is not whether Africa aligns with China or the West, but whether African nations can build the capacity to assert their own terms in these partnerships. Only by focusing on internal peace and progress can Africa truly break free from the legacies of colonialism and the predatory ambitions of global powers.
In the face of this global rivalry, Africa must prioritize its own sovereignty, development, and the well-being of its people. The future of the continent lies not in the hands of China or the West, but in the hands of its own leaders and citizens. African nations must seize this moment to chart their own course, ensuring that the continent’s vast resources are used to build a prosperous future for its young, dynamic population.