At a recent summit held in Europe to raise funds for African climate adaptation projects, the heads of state of six African countries gathered together, but only the host country, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte, attended the "cheers".
"In Africa against Russia and China, Europe's efforts to 'patronising' have failed," Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported under the headline on the 12th. "Western countries may have put forward various initiatives to counter the growing influence of China and Russia in Africa, but African leaders are 'disappointed' with their approach."" ”
Screenshot of the South China Morning Post report
According to reports such as the South China Morning Post, Morocco Le Monde, And Climate House News, last Monday (September 5), the African Climate Resilience Summit, launched by the Global Centre for Adaptation (GCA), an international organization hosted by the Netherlands, was held in Rotterdam to discuss The financial support that Europe has pledged for climate projects in Africa's poorer countries.
Heads of state from six African countries, including Senegal, Ghana, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia, travelled to Europe to participate in the event. But in Europe, in addition to the Dutch prime minister's personal participation, invited leaders from France, Norway, Denmark, Canada and Finland have been absent, in stark contrast to the "long-distance participation" of African leaders.
The group photo released at the end of the summit shows Dutch Prime Minister Rutte standing in the middle of the first row
Sal, president of Senegal and current chairman-in-office of the African Union, did not hide his dissatisfaction at the opening ceremony: "I have to note with a bit of bitterness the absence of the leaders of the industrialized countries. I thought that if we put in the effort, it would be easier for people to leave Africa and come to countries like Rotterdam, Europe, etc. ”
"It leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. Sal stressed that the climate project is not only related to the fate of Africa, but also to the fate of mankind and the future of the earth.
The President of Senegal and the current Rotating Chairman of the Au, Sal sal
Dr. Tsesekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also harshly criticized the absence of Western leaders: "As we all know, they are the biggest polluters. He noted that the continent has the least impact on climate change, but paradoxically, it suffers most of its consequences.
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Aminna Mohammed called the meeting "lop-sided" and that "a bird can fly with two wings." She also praised the presence of African leaders, "not because [they] don't have anything important at home."
This is not the first time Africa has been snubbed by Europe. At the EU-Africa summit in Brussels in February, about 40 African leaders were invited by the EU, but at some points in the meeting, only Belgian Prime Minister De Crowe was present on the European side.
"The Europeans behaved so rudely that they could have involved substantive representatives through coordination throughout the event." Judy Moore, liberia's former Minister of Public Works, said, "Can you imagine Africans hosting 40 European leaders at an event in Accra and then leaving them and the President of Ghana in the room?" ”
President Akufo-Addo of Ghana (front row left) and Dutch Prime Minister Rutte (front row right) attend the Africa Climate Adaptation Summit. Image source: Ghana Presidential Palace
At the summit, the EU came up with a €150 billion financing package, half of the Global Gateway initiative for the EU's infrastructure plan. The plan is widely believed to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative. However, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the global pandemic have cast a shadow over the progress of the program.
Moore notes that this is just a microcosm of Europe's inability or inability to deliver on its promises, "and that failure to deliver on them has a long history, so this may just be normal."
Observers believe the EU is losing influence on the continent as China, Russia, Turkey and others become more involved in African affairs, according to the South China Morning Post. But divisions within the EU are a stumbling block to its ambitions.
Kirt Laporte, director of the European think tank Group (ETTG), said that in order to turn the tide, the EU was imitating "global players" such as China and making big financial commitments, but their excessive promises were always failing to deliver.
The reason, Laporte said, is that with the outbreak of war in Ukraine, on the one hand, Africans are trying to cleverly avoid taking sides to avoid being involved in a new Cold War again, and on the other hand, Europe's attention and focus have also been diverted, and it is difficult to say whether the plan can be implemented.
Also known for "lip service but not real" is the United States. "The United States and the European Union have never hidden the fact that they want to confront China." Adams Bodom, a professor of African studies at the University of Vienna, said every U.S. and European Union plan for Africa is built as an alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative, but they always say more and do less.
"China is planning after construction, but the United States is planning after failure. (China plans and builds but the US plans and bombs.)" Bodom commented.
Bodom added that Russia's "march" into Africa is aimed at showing that it is a viable alternative to the Western powers and to use its good relations with the continent to influence votes at the United Nations.
In August, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken visited South Africa to try to get a hang-in. South African Foreign Minister Pandor sneered in person that some European countries forced countries to condemn Russia as a form of "patronising."
"And one of the things I absolutely don't like is being told, 'Either you choose this or you don't do it.'" When a minister speaks to me like this... I would never be bullied like this, and I would not expect any other African country to agree to be treated in this way. Pandor said.
South Africa is one of dozens of African countries that abstained in voting on a U.N. resolution condemning Russia's "invasion" of Ukraine.
At the meeting of coordinators for the implementation of the outcomes of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation last month, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned that the commitments made by The Chinese side at the Dakar meeting are being steadily implemented in overcoming difficulties and interference.
Wang Yi introduced that China has implemented more than US$3 billion in credit lines for Us$10 billion to African financial institutions and nearly US$2.5 billion in loans to key projects in Africa. China has arranged more than US$2 billion in trade financing lines for Africa, with total imports of goods from Africa reaching US$70.6 billion in seven months, and Chinese enterprises investing US$2.17 billion in Africa. In addition, China is ready to lend $10 billion in special drawing rights to Africa through the two trust channels of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and push the IMF to direct Chinese funds to Africa.
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