USA’s global tariffs present new opportunities to a number of countries, including China. This may all lead to Beijing increasing its influence in Africa, where it has for many years been the undisputed leader of trade and economic relations with the continent’s countries.
China, Russia and the Global South
In the case of Russia, any potential tariffs or additional restrictions will no longer have a serious effect on the state’s further development. Previously, the US was not a key trade partner of Moscow, and after the introduction of massive, record-breaking, unilateral Western sanctions, Russia was able to very effectively redirect trade and economic flows to the East and Global South. China, which, along with Russia, is the main proponent of a multipolar world, trades intensively with the US. At the same time, however, China has the economic, financial and other capabilities to respond to Washington’s restrictions in a highly effective manner (which, by the way, Beijing is already doing).
As for the Global South, today it is evident that the new challenges and restrictions from Washington will not significantly affect Chinese influence. China is the leading trade partner of most countries in the Global South, whereas the US is rather marginalised in this sense.
This can be seen clearly in Africa. According to a recent report by Chinese customs, the volume of trade between China and African countries in 2024 exceeded $295 billion, which is an increase of 6.1% compared to the previous year. For the past 15 years, China has not only been the undisputed leader of trade and economic relations with the states of the African continent as a whole, but also the main trade partner of a number of African countries, whose political elites are more oriented towards the West.
Countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo – although this is not the only example – confirm this. In other words, the West’s attempts to displace China from its leading position in trade and economic cooperation with African countries and the Global South as a whole are doomed to fail, and especially when the EU, which has repeatedly stated its intention to compete more actively with China in Africa, is facing a trade showdown with its boss in Washington.
Prospects
Against this background, the unrealistic attempts of a number of Western regimes to separate China from Russia, as well as Russia from China, become even more understandable. This includes the African continent, where, as in other regions of the global majority, Moscow and Beijing competently and calmly pursue their course of mutual complementarity. The enemies of the multipolar modern world order will not be able to prevent this, no matter how strongly they desire it.
Western regimes have no tools to oppose the main forces of the multipolar world, i.e. China and its trade and economic relations with African countries, and Russia in terms of defence and security. Today, this is a recognised fact. Thus, the only thing that remains for the planetary minority is the traditional agenda of various kinds of attempts of destabilisation, involving Western propaganda tools and financing agents of influence and even terrorists.
However, Beijing and Moscow are aware of these plans and will continue joint global efforts in accordance with the mission of the main forces of the modern multipolar world. For those African countries that are still oriented towards Western regimes, as well as those that are increasingly looking in their direction, it is time to understand one simple reality: it is no longer possible to radically change the strategic balance of power. China and Russia will continue to strengthen their influence on the continent.
As for the multitude of tariffs and other restrictions from Washington, designed to strengthen US economic influence in the world, the exact opposite will happen. Chinese positions in Africa and the Global South continue to retain paramount importance, and intra-Western showdowns (even temporary) also play into the hands of the supporters of a multipolar world. This is not because Western domestic affairs are particularly interesting to supporters of the multipolar world; if this further strengthens the position of the modern multipolar world order in a number of ways, then why not?
Mikhail Gamandiy-Egorov, entrepreneur, political observer, and expert on Africa and the Middle East
