Russia and China in Africa: competitors or partners?

Abstract

How realistic and feasible is Sino-Russian in Africa? This issue was the subject of the first ever video conference of the leading researchers of Institute for African Studies with Minister Plenipotentiary Su Fanqiu and other employees of the Chinese Embassy in Moscow According to the Minister, China is ready to cooperate with Russia on the African continent, primarily in the political sphere, since the political influence of the Russian Federation in Africa is very impressive Beijing is ready to cooperate with Moscow in the fight against terrorism on the African continent, as well as in military-technical and information spheres The Minister proposed to intensify contacts between Chinese scientists and the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, including the young researchers At the same time, the Chinese speakers said nothing about Sino-Russian cooperation in Africa in the economic sphere This suggests that China does not perceive Russia neither as a possible economic ally or as a competitor in Africa It will not be easy for Russia to regain its former influence in Africa, but in order not to completely lose the economic and political opportunities offered by emerging Africa, it is necessary to concentrate upon and to actively develop the African vector of our foreign policy Director of the Institute for Africa Studies Рrof I Abramova informed Mr Su Fanqiu about the initial stage of preparation for the new Summit, which is expected to bring about palpable practical achievements in each direction of the Russian-African interaction I Abramova postulates that the main tasks for the next 2-3 years will be to boost the turnover of the Russia-Africa trade, to increase the number of economic operators on the African direction, including small and medium businesses, the development of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, science, education and health, the interaction in the information space and, most importantly, developing financial instruments to support Russian business in Africa Статья посвящена первой в истории Института Африки РАН совместной видеоконференции с сотрудниками посольства КНР в Москве по вопросам российско-африканских и китайско-африканских отношений и возможностям сотрудничества РФ и КНР на Африканском континенте в посткоронавирусном мире По мнению китайской стороны, наиболее перспективным направлением взаимодействия может стать сотрудничество двух стран в политической сфере с использованием всех международных площадок, в то же время в сфере экономики, за исключением военно-технической отрасли, Китай пока не воспринимает Россию как серьезного конкурента и партнера