Just Business: China Encroaches on Former French Colonies in Africa
SputnikNews.com20.05.2017
This year’s second African tour by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reflects Beijing’s drive to further expand its clout in Africa, where it competes with France for regional influence, experts told Sputnik.
Between May 19 and May 23, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is due to visit Mauritania, Cape Verde, Mali and Cote d’Ivoire, in what experts said had become Yi’s second African tour since the beginning of this year.
In January, he paid visits to Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania, the Republic of the Congo and Nigeria.
Commenting on this, Russian expert Dmitry Bondarenko pointed to China’s persistent push to increase its clout all across Africa, irrespective of the various local political regimes.
“In West Africa, China’s interests run counter to those of France because Mauritania, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Niger are former French colonies,” Bondarenko told Sputnik.
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