The rapidly evolving geostrategic environment has increased bipolarity between China and the United States, rather than leading to greater multipolarity, as many expected. Amid this intensifying Sino-American rivalry, African countries should focus on enhancing regional cohesion to advance their interests.
JOHANNESBURG – Contrary to widespread expectations, the rapidly evolving geostrategic environment has not led to greater multipolarity. Instead, it has increased bipolarity between China and the United States, which are engaged in a cold war centered not on ideology but on technology. Former US President Donald Trump’s 2018 tariffs on Chinese goods, on which Joe Biden has doubled down, led to Mexico becoming the top exporter to the US in 2023, a position that China had held for 16 consecutive years. African countries must decide how to navigate this intensifying Sino-American rivalry in a way that advances their interests.
JOHANNESBURG – Contrary to widespread expectations, the rapidly evolving geostrategic environment has not led to greater multipolarity. Instead, it has increased bipolarity between China and the United States, which are engaged in a cold war centered not on ideology but on technology. Former US President Donald Trump’s 2018 tariffs on Chinese goods, on which Joe Biden has doubled down, led to Mexico becoming the top exporter to the US in 2023, a position that China had held for 16 consecutive years. African countries must decide how to navigate this intensifying Sino-American rivalry in a way that advances their interests.