Africa-Press – Tanzania. It is no longer a secret that the United States of America sees the People’s Republic of China as its main geopolitical rival. In the past, American music and propaganda from the McCarthy era condemned the Soviet and Chinese “communist demons,” but even with the opening of China to Western markets after Nixon’s visit to China, the subject of a great opera by John Adams, the United States “created a monster” capable of competing in the most competitive markets, including Africa.
The US strategy to contain China on the African continent, to prevent the growth of Chinese influence in Africa, involved other countries such as Angola, which ended up being betrayed after the election of Donald Trump. But Biden was not the only one interested in Africa’s riches.
Its sharing has also involved large European companies and consortia, such as controversial companies that manage the LAR consortium. In this sense, Luanda Airport and the Lobito Corridor and Port are just two examples of projects that are becoming increasingly visible in the direct competition between the US and China in sub-Saharan Africa.
The US took the initiative in the Lobito corridor in response to the construction of Africa’s largest airport in Luanda. This is a tic-tac-toe game. According to AidData (William and Mary Institute of Global Studies), the US needed to intercept this project just to prevent it from going to China, as Ameya Joshi’s article “How can Angola leverage its position effectively amid US-China competition in Africa?” makes clear.
The fact is that Donald Trump, since becoming president of the United States, has always tried to transfer responsibility for projects initiated by previous administrations, such as NATO, to Europe. The same logic applies to the African continent, and it should be remembered that it was only in the 20th century that the Americans began to directly exploit the African continent, while Western Europeans have been doing so for centuries.
Meanwhile, European countries that are investors in Angola and the Lobito Corridor in particular will have great difficulties. The US has transferred to them responsibility not only for Angola and the Lobito Corridor, but also for Ukraine. The Europeans will have enough resources for one destination – Ukraine, which is closer to them and is important in geostrategic terms, and not the distant, African and incomprehensibly located Angola.
Angola can therefore only count on itself. It has already been betrayed by the United States, whose foreign policy has no ethical principles other than those related to increasing its economic power. Now it is the turn of the Europeans to do the same, because the United States has transferred to them the responsibility for the Lobita Corridor and Ukraine. And the choice will be obvious. The European countries will betray Angola and stop financing its project.
ANGOLA24
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