Africa in Great Power Competition: China, the USA, and Global Governance

This lecture examines Africa’s pivotal role in the evolving US-China great power competition, exploring various aspects such as trade, investment, governance, and technological dynamics. Amid growing rivalry, critical questions arise, which the lecture will address:

• How does competition over resources, influence, and technology shape Africa’s strategic position? Can China and the USA establish shared norms and cooperate on pressing global challenges?
• In trade and development, can initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Build Back Better World (B3W) meet Africa’s financing needs, support green and digital transformation, and strengthen African bargaining power?
• In global governance, what are the implications of international norms and the recent US National Security Strategy for African agency? Can multilateral and multi-stakeholder approaches enhance governance in an era of great power competition?
• Finally, does China’s engagement aim to ‘export ideology’ or primarily reinforce domestic legitimacy, and what does this mean for African agency and influence?

This lecture is open to policymakers, academics from different disciplines, and practitioners to foster dialogue about how inclusive and resilient approaches can be advanced, and how forward-looking Africa-China-US engagements can be shaped in a rapidly shifting global landscape.

Programme

• Welcome address 
  Sebastian Bersick, Co-Director of AREA Ruhr – Alliance for Research on East Asia Ruhr
• Lecture 
  Qingxiu Bu, Reader in Global Law at the University of Sussex (UK) & Senior Fellow, College for Social Sciences and Humanities
• Discussion

Organisers

The event is co-organised by Dr Qingxiu Bu (University of Sussex, UK), who is currently a Senior Fellow at the College for Social Sciences and Humanities, and AREA Ruhr – Alliance for Research on East Asia Ruhr.

Registration 

No reqistration required.

Location 

College for Social Sciences and Humanities, Essen 

Address & directions