West Loses Influence in Africa, Whereas Russia, China Expand Presence, Newspaper Claims

As Russia and China’s political and economic presence is growing in Africa, the recent second US-Africa summit, held for the first time in eight years, has revealed how far the West is prepared to go to save face on the world’s fastest-growing continent, given how much anti-Russian and anti-Chinese sentiment cropped up.

The United States and former colonial powers Britain and France have been losing influence in Africa in recent years, but Russia and China are expanding their presence in the region, the Times writes.

“Increasing Russian influence highlights the shifting relationships in the world’s fastest-growing continent. In recent years, the US and the former colonial powers of Britain and France have lost ground to China, Russia and smaller players such as Turkey and the Gulf states,” argued the London-based paper.

The news outlet also emphasized that Russia can expect great support in Africa, which has “long been the playground of great powers”, at the international level, primarily in the United Nations.

Within the framework of the US-Africa Leaders Summit held in December, US President Joe Biden “attempted to convert African heads of state” to the side of the West. The newspaper also noted that a new battle for Africa “may already be lost” in the wake of Russia's and China's expanding presence on the continent.

The heads of State and Government of 49 African countries, as well as a representative of the African Union, attended the US-Africa summit. Several countries – Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Sudan, where military coups had previously taken place, were not invited to the three–day meeting.

The forum also did not include Eritrea, with which the United States has no diplomatic relations. The leaders of Zimbabwe and South Africa had previously announced the cancellation of the trip for various reasons.

Alexey Murzenok, Director of International Partnership Programs at the Russian Export Center, has expressed confidence that the African and Asian markets are very promising for exporting goods under the "Made in Russia" brand.

According to Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Russia will look for partners in dynamically developing countries in the Asian, Latin American and African continents.