U.S. scrambles to counter China's enduring partnership in Africa

Editor's note: Dereck Goto is a Zimbabwean political commentator. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On May 14, 2025, U.S. Ambassador Troy Fitrell, Senior Bureau Official for the Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs, took to the podium in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to announce what is being marketed as a new dawn in U.S.-Africa relations. In a speech addressed to American business representatives, embassy staff, and African officials, Fitrell unveiled the U.S. Commercial Diplomacy Strategy for Africa – a glossy repackaging of old ambitions laced with urgency and veiled desperation. But behind the diplomatic niceties lies a more transparent agenda: Washington is in a belated scramble to claw back influence from a far more entrenched and respected player – China.

Fitrell's opening remarks acknowledged what economists and policymakers have known for decades: Africa is the world's largest untapped market. By 2050, the continent will house 2.5 billion people with over $16 trillion in projected purchasing power. Yet despite this staggering potential, U.S. exports to Sub-Saharan Africa linger at around 1 percent of total American trade. This glaring underperformance is not a result of ignorance but of neglect, and now that the U.S. sees China harvesting the fruits of early investment and trust, it wants to play catch-up.

In the speech, Fitrell laments the failure of previous American policies that prioritized aid over commerce and macroeconomic reform over direct market access. He paints a picture of a government apparatus that has been too fragmented and too slow to compete with its global rivals. It is an unintentional admission of strategic failure and a bitter recognition that China has filled the void left by Washington's apathy. And so, in typical imperial fashion, the U.S. seeks to recalibrate – not out of goodwill, but from the fear of becoming irrelevant in a region it long took for granted.

The rhetoric of "Trade, not Aid" might sound refreshing if it were not so condescending and opportunistic. African nations are being told that U.S. ambassadors will now be rated based on how many American business deals they can close. The carrot dangled before African leaders is not mutual prosperity, but the dubious honor of being declared "investment-ready" if they jump through Washington's hoops – reform your markets, reduce your barriers, and accept our goods, even if we are not the cheapest, because we are "superior."

In other words, Africa is being asked to pay more, change faster, and praise louder in exchange for inclusion in America's sudden interest. This transactional arrogance is nothing new. It reflects a deep-rooted mentality whereby the U.S. sees itself as the global referee, deciding who is worthy of trade and under what conditions. The fact that Fitrell openly dismisses Chinese-led infrastructure projects as "vanity" while boasting about identifying "commercially viable" American alternatives exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of the strategy.

Compare this with China's decades-long engagement with Africa. From the Tanzania-Zambia railway (TAZARA) in the 1970s to the modern ports, roads, and airports built under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has consistently delivered tangible development without paternalism. Unlike the U.S., China does not demand structural adjustment, political alignment, or economic contortion in exchange for partnership. Instead, it treats African nations with the diplomatic dignity of equals – cooperation without interference.

While Washington lectures and lobbies, Beijing builds. And African nations have not forgotten who showed up early and stayed consistent. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), established in 2000, continues to drive billions of dollars in mutually beneficial development. From scholarships and hospitals to industrial parks and digital infrastructure, China's footprint in Africa is deep, respectful, and increasingly welcome. The difference is more than strategy – it is ethos. China sees Africa not as a market to be exploited, but as a partner in a shared future.

The historical context cannot be erased. America's relationship with Africa is stained by centuries of exploitation, Cold War manipulation, and the propping up of brutal regimes. Even in modern times, the U.S. has viewed the continent through the dual lenses of crisis and charity. The pivot to "commercial diplomacy" may be painted as progressive, but it is still anchored in superiority. It is not Africa the U.S. respects – it is China's success that it fears.

Ambassador Fitrell's speech lays bare a deeper insecurity. America is no longer the uncontested global hegemon. Its influence is shrinking, and its policies – long designed to maintain dominance – are now being repackaged as benevolent outreach. But Africa has moved on. The days of dancing to Washington's tune are over. What the U.S. calls "competition" is in fact a reluctant admission that it has been outpaced.

If the U.S. truly wants to engage with Africa, it must begin not with a strategy, but with an apology. It must own up to the decades of neglect, arrogance, and exploitation. And more importantly, it must learn humility. Because in a world where China builds, listens, and respects, flashy speeches and billion-dollar promises ring hollow.

Africa deserves partners, not patrons. China understood that early – and that is why America is now playing a losing game on a board it ignored for far too long.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)