Opinion
Obama travels to Africa – Trip should be a great learning opportunity for him
While U.S. leaders, such as Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have over the years tried to find fault with China’s growing role in Africa, Yun Sun, a non-resident fellow of the African Growth Initiative at Brookings, believes that United States and China have much to cooperate on in Africa.
In an article posted on the Brookings website in April, Sun said calls for the two to cooperate on security and development issues in Africa have been increasingly popular, citing the 6th China-U.S. Africa Consultation held in Beijing last December that discussed cooperation on Ebola and other common regional threats.
According to Sun, the few examples of collaboration are on the issues of the “lowest common denominator” – or the most basic and least controversial ones, such as the flaring crisis in South Sudan and the Ebola outbreak.
“The logic of U.S.-China cooperation in Africa is a sound one,” Sun said. “Both Beijing and Washington have important political and economic interests in promoting peace and development in Africa. The two countries’ vested interests in Africa, particularly in commercial investment, make peace and stability imperative.”
She believes as two responsible powers, China and the U.S. carry a shared moral obligation to Africa. In cases such as South Sudan, both countries stand much to lose if the crisis continues to fester. Furthermore, a stable and prosperous Africa will provide both countries more investment and trade opportunities, which can enhance the momentum for their cooperation.
The fundamental cause of inadequate US-China cooperation in Africa, according to Sun, is an underlying sense of zero-sum competition between them on the continent and their different approaches.
No one seems to be sure how much Obama will learn from this trip to Africa about the huge need and opportunity for China and the U.S. to work together there.
