American-Chinese Scramble for Africa

Thomas M. Skypek, The Weekly Standard | October 13, 2008

China’s demand for raw materials and new markets boosts its appetite for economic and military involvement in Africa. ++ The African continent is increasingly serving as a proxy battleground for Beijing and Washington. ++ China exports weapons to states hostile to the US thus complicating American counterterrorism actions. ++ Chinese involvement in Africa must be countered. ++ Bush took a first step by setting up AFRICOM, but his successor still has a long way to go to contain the People’s Republic’s ambitions in the region.