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Japan and China’s Summit Competition in Africa

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (far R), Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono (2nd R) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (3RD R) attend a special conference on peace and stability in the horn of Africa during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama, 29 August 2019. Image: Getty, JIJI PRESS/AFP
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (far R), Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono (2nd R) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (3RD R) attend a special conference on peace and stability in the horn of Africa during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama, 29 August 2019. Image: Getty, JIJI PRESS/AFP

Japan and China play a dual role in Africa. Firstly, they both have direct relationships with Africa, as two of the continent’s most important development partners.

Summary:

  • Japan and China’s relationship with Africa is shaped through ‘Africa Plus One’ summits.
  • TICAD and FOCAC have fed into Japan and China’s engagement with Africa in the G20.
  • China played a key role in focusing the G20 more on development; a move shaped by its interaction with Africa.
  • TICAD 7 showed that Japan’s cooperation with Africa is increasingly driven by the private sector.
  • The 2019 G20 summit showed how Japan uses stipulations on quality infrastructure as a way to address Chinese influence in Africa.
  • The competing visions of BRI and FOIP both require African participation and show how strategic calculations lead to closer alignment between G20 and Africa Plus One summits.
The views expressed in this publication/article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).

This content features on the G20 Resource Centre.

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31 Jan 2020

Research by

Series
SAIIA Policy Insights No 78, January 2020
SAIIA Programme
Foreign Policy
Region
Asia Pacific
Country
China, Japan
Theme
China-Africa Relations
Tags
Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), G20, G20-Africa

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