Russia and China in Africa: Prospective Partners or Asymmetric Rivals?

The document analyzes the resurgent roles of China and Russia in Africa since 2000. China's influence is primarily economic, driven by the Belt and Road Initiative and long-term infrastructure investments, while Russia's approach is more opportunistic, focusing on mining, arms exports, and the deployment of private military contractors in fragile states. While the two powers coordinate on challenging Western norms and supporting non-interference in the UN Security Council, they maintain a 'competitive partnership' characterized by limited strategic coordination in security and economics, and occasional competition for commercial contracts in countries like Zimbabwe.

• China's influence in Africa is primarily driven by economic power and infrastructure connectivity, exemplified by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Between 2000 and 2019, trade between China and Africa increased from $10 billion to $192 billion.
• Russia's engagement in Africa is characterized as opportunistic, leveraging state fragility and conflict to secure mining concessions and arms deals, while using private military contractors (PMCs) to influence local conflicts.
• The relationship between China and Russia in Africa is a 'competitive partnership' rather than a full strategic alliance, featuring limited coordination in security and economic spheres and infrequent dialogue on regional conflicts.
• China and Russia demonstrate normative alignment by coordinating in the UN Security Council to oppose Western-led sanctions and support the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
• Chinese investments have led to significant debt for several African nations, with Angola ($25 billion), Ethiopia ($13.5 billion), Zambia ($6.6 billion), Congo Brazzaville ($7.3 billion), and Sudan ($6.4 billion) holding the largest debts.
• Russia and China engage in selective commercial competition, particularly in the nuclear energy sector and in Zimbabwe, where Russia has sought to capitalize on a slowdown in Chinese investment after the 2017 coup.

APA

RAMANI, S. (2021). Russia and China in Africa: Prospective Partners or Asymmetric Rivals? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Policy-Insights-120-ramani.pdf

Chicago

RAMANI, SAMUEL. Russia and China in Africa: Prospective Partners or Asymmetric Rivals? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Policy-Insights-120-ramani.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=RAMANI |first1=SAMUEL |title=Russia and China in Africa: Prospective Partners or Asymmetric Rivals? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Policy-Insights-120-ramani.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ramani2021russia, author = {RAMANI, SAMUEL}, title = {{Russia and China in Africa: Prospective Partners or Asymmetric Rivals?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Policy-Insights-120-ramani.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }