The U.S. Congress Wants to Know More About What the Chinese Are Doing in Africa

In a rare display of bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 21-1 on Wednesday to move a bill designed to counter China’s growing influence around the world. Next, the “Strategic Competition Act of 2021” will go to the full Senate for a vote before it moves on to the House.

But right at the last minute yesterday, before the vote, members of the Foreign Relations committee slipped in a number of additions to the Bill that focused specifically on Chinese engagement in Africa:

• SECTION 271 – ASSESSMENT OF POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SECURITY ACTIVITY OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IN AFRICA: Within 6 months after it goes into effect, Congress wants the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence to provide a comprehensive report on Chinese political activities, investment, soft power and an analysis of the “methods and techniques that China uses to exert undue influence on African governments.”

• SECTION 272 – INCREASING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE UNITED STATES IN AFRICA: Again, within 6 months of passage, Congress will require the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, USAID, DFC and other executive branch agencies to provide “a multi-year strategy for increasing United States economic competitiveness” in relation to the Chinese in Africa. Sub-section 6 also calls for the convening of a regular U.S.-Africa leaders summit.

• SECTION 273 – DIGITAL SECURITY COOPERATION WITH RESPECT TO AFRICA:  The President will be required to form an inter-agency working group that will develop methods “to counter Chinese cyber aggression with respect to Africa.” One of the recommendations that Congress wants from this task force is how to provide African governments and telecom operators with “alternatives to Huawei.”

• SECTION 274 – INCREASING PERSONNEL IN UNITED STATES EMBASSIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA FOCUSED ON THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: This would address a persistent complaint from U.S. diplomats in Africa who say they’re understaffed to simultaneously monitor Chinese influence on the continent and provide the same level of engagement as the Chinese, who often have much larger diplomatic missions in some African countries.

SUGGESTED READING:

• South China Morning Post: US senators propose more programs to help competition with China by Mark Magnier
• Reuters: U.S. lawmakers intensify bipartisan efforts to counter China by Patricia Zengerle and Michael Martina
• The United States Congress: Full text of S.1169 – Strategic Competition Act of 2021

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The post The U.S. Congress Wants to Know More About What the Chinese Are Doing in Africa appeared first on The China Africa Project.

source https://chinaafricaproject.com/2021/04/22/the-u-s-congress-wants-to-know-more-about-what-the-chinese-are-doing-in-africa/