The Biden-Harris administration team revealed that President-elect Joe Biden had continued along his path of speaking to world leader ahead of his inauguration in January, engaging in telephone conversations with the leaders of Kenya, Argentina, and Costa Rica, as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN).
The purpose of the calls was largely centred around: building on continued efforts to expand US influence in the Western hemisphere and in Africa in order to counter an increasingly influential China; reinforcing the United States’ (US) resurgent respect for multilateralism and international organizations under the new administration; and reinstituting the US’ position and credibility as a willing and able global leader following Trump’s isolationist moves.
In his phone call with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Biden broadly discussed climate change, while also delving into the topics of regional security and instability, and the refugee crisis in the African continent at large.
In early November, when Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US Presidential election, Kenyatta offered a congratulatory message, describing him as a “highly experienced” and “colourfully decorated” leader. The Kenyan leader expressed hope that his victory represents an opportunity to build an “even bigger and better platform for our two countries to collaborate more closely for the prosperity of the people of our two nations”. Kenyatta also hailed Biden’s running-mate Kamala Harris—who will now become the first female, and the first American with South Asian heritage to enter the White House—as a ‘trailblazer’.
Biden recognized this during their call and thanked the Kenyan leader for his congratulatory message. The Biden-Harris transition team put out a statement which included the following: “The president-elect spoke with President Kenyatta of Kenya. The president-elect offered his gratitude for President Kenyatta’s congratulations and expressed his appreciation for the strong and lasting ties between our two countries. He conveyed his interest in building on that partnership across a range of issues, including by tackling the threat of climate change, supporting refugees and their host communities, and addressing challenges of regional security and instability.”
Kenya hosts the largest number of refugees from Somalia and South Sudan, both of which remain highly unstable countries. It is understood that Biden offered Kenyatta support on this front, though the details of what this support will entail remain hazy.
In recent times, Kenya’s relations with the US have been tense, due to the Trump administration’s insistence on public support of Israel as one of the pre-conditions for a free trade agreement. Washington has also requested the “elimination of politically motivated, non-tariff barriers on Israeli goods, services, or other commerce imposed on Israel; and the elimination of State-sponsored, unsanctioned foreign boycotts of Israel, or compliance with the Arab League Boycott of Israel”.
Furthermore, major oil companies have lobbied the Office of the United States Trade Representative to pressure Kenya into removing what they see as obstacles to dumping plastic waste in the African country. The request was lodged by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) on behalf of several key players in the oil industry—including oil and chemical giants Shell, Exxon, Total, DuPont, and Dow.
Against this backdrop, experts say that Biden’s call to Kenyatta and his recent discussion with South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa illustrate that the incoming president, unlike Trump, recognizes the growing importance of Africa, particularly in order to counter China’s rising influence in the continent.
On November 17, Biden spoke with Ramaphosa, who doubles up as the chairman of the African Union (AU), about how to bolster US-Africa relations, and cooperate in terms of public health, climate change, and economic recovery.
China’s loans to Africa amount to roughly $160 billion, most of which has gone towards infrastructure projects. However, the money is loaned at high interest rates, which forcefully increases and extends Africa’s dependence on China. For instance, Djibouti’s debt-to-GDP ratio rose from 50% to 85% after Chinese investment in 2014. In fact, it is estimated that around 20% of African government debt is owed to China.
The East Asian giant essentially finances the debt of low and middle-income countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, to help them “bridge their infrastructure gaps” and also offers large commercial loans to countries with “high default or sovereign risks” like Angola. This has in turn projected China as an emerging and benevolent superpower that could carve out competing spheres of influence to challenge US hegemony. At the same time, it also paved the way for Chinese firms to gain control of crucial natural resources and oil fields in several countries.
For instance, there are now over 22,000 Chinese nationals living in Zambia, in charge of 280 companies. Chinese companies have seized control of Zambia’s copper industry, which accounts for 70% of the country’s export revenues. Moreover, their control has expanded beyond the copper industry, with Chinese state-owned firms winning contracts to construct airports, highways, hydro-electric stations, sports stadiums, and several other infrastructural projects.
This heavily asymmetrical relationship and burgeoning disharmony in Africa-China ties has prompted actors like the United States to step in, assuming the role of a benevolent alternative to China’s predatory lending practices.
In May, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo led calls for the US and the G-20 to annul or suspend African debt, and even went as far as calling on China specifically to consider doing the same. Pompeo mentioned of the “enormous amount of debt that China has imposed on African countries” and positioned the US as diametrically opposed to indenturing Africa, highlighting how Washington has spent close to $60 billion on public health in Africa over the last two decades.
During the current coronavirus pandemic, the US has pledged a further $170 million in medical aid to Africa, which will go towards “refurbishing hospitals and training medics in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Mauritania, and Ethiopia”. In fact, under the Trump administration, the US government has sought to claw back its influence in Africa through the launch of the 2018 BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) Act, which created the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and the reignition of the US Export-Import Bank.
It is hoped that Biden’s entry into the White House will serve to further develop US-Africa relations and reduce the continent’s dependence on China.
The US also faces similar challenges in Latin America, where China has already signed BRI agreements with Uruguay, Panamá, Chile, and Perú, with Argentina also expressing interest.
In fact, in August, the US National Security Council unveiled its Western Hemisphere Strategic Framework. In it, the US mentions how it is seeking to expand its “deep geographic, economic, and cultural” ties in its “neighbourhood”. Simultaneously it seeks to counter “malign political influence” and “economic aggression” of China, which it says has increased its “state-driven trade, investment, diplomatic, technology, media, security, and health outreach” in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
Accordingly, under the Trump administration, the US has already made significant overtures to expand its ties with Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Suriname, Guyana, and the Dominican Republic.
It is expected that these efforts will continue under Biden, who recently spoke to Chilean leader Sebastián Piñera and congratulated the South American on his country’s decision to initiate the drafting of a new constitution.
Likewise, on the same day that he spoke to Kenyatta, the President-elect also spoke to Argentinian President Alberto Fernández, and sought “emphasize the need for even deeper hemispheric cooperation on advancing economic prosperity, combating climate change, strengthening democracy, and managing regional migration flows, among other shared challenges”.
Along these same lines, after speaking with the Argentinian leader, Biden also spoke with Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado, and “expressed his appreciation for Costa Rica’s leadership on human rights, regional migration, COVID-19, and the threat of climate change”. Building on the theme of ‘hemispheric’ cooperation, he offered his support for Costa Rica and other Central American countries as they recover from recent hurricanes and deal with the impacts of growing climate migration.
Lastly, following his conversation with Kenyatta, Biden spoke with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The pair spoke about the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and other crisis-torn countries, public health, climate change, democracy, human rights, and peacekeeping.
Biden Seeks to Expand American Influence in Latin America and Africa to Counter China
The President-elect held telephonic conversations with the leaders of Argentina, Costa Rica, Kenya, and also the United Nations, reaffirming the United States’ renewed support for multilateralism.
December 2, 2020
IMAGE SOURCE: JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGESUS President-elect and former Vice President Joe Biden