By Alessandro Deligios – Art in Tanzania internship

International Relations

China has been using its economic power to influence the geopolitical arena in recent years. By the future model of geo-economic competition, China first seems to try to become the leading State in Asia. Second, they are taking more power in many areas of the world. One of the strategies to extend their influence is the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI). This strategy focuses on financing projects in different areas of the world. China can deeply link the economy of various countries to theirs and is creating a global economic network with the Chinese economic and financial system as a reference – the so-called Beijing consensus.

In particular, China is focusing on East Africa, and in this region, the Tanzania-China relationship is key for Beijing to get a strategic economic position. In 2013, former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete signed an agreement allowing China to invest in financing the Bagamoyo port project, around which it should have placed a special economic zone. China is expected to have special conditions such as water and energy provisions and security, and Tanzania wouldn’t have financing from another competitor port. But in January 2016, the project was annulled by President John Magufuli because the agreement for him was like selling Tanzania to Chinese investors.

In climate discussion, we know that African countries are the most affected by the problem brought by climate change, especially by global warming. The continent probably will be exposed to more extended periods of drought, and water provision will always be more difficult. Concerning climate change, it is also known that China is one of the major countries that release the highest levels of greenhouse gases. Despite the attempts of the Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997 and started in 2005, and the Paris Agreement in 2016, emissions have not yet been limited satisfactorily. Developed countries have the responsibility to help the development of ecological transitions, and the GEF (Global Environment Facility), a program managed by the UN and the World Bank, give financing to developing countries to help get positive results related to four areas: climate changes, desertification, international water pollution, and biodiversity. Good results are obtained in the third and fourth areas but not in the first two.

At the start of April 2021, First Minister Geoffrey Mwambe said that Tanzania would be ready for a new agreement about the Bagamoyo port project if the terms were changed: in this, Tanzania-China relations can be central for the ecological transition of all of Africa. Tanzania could advance conditions for the project according to the UN 2030 Agenda of sustainability goals, cooperating with other African countries to do the same with other Chinese investments in Africa when possible. With a high chance, China is interested in extending its economic influence in Africa to get more global diplomatic weight to be disposed to accept sustainability conditions for her projects. It could be one of the few ways for China to do that – but not the only other countries that would like to invest in Africa – massively reduce their emissions. This will be more powerful based on how many countries will collaborate. It should be a priority, as it is essential for fast-growing economies to develop sustainably and must pressure developed countries, especially China, as big global players are trying to extend their powers.

Sources:

– (About climate issue and international relations)

J. Grieco, G. J. Ikenberry, M. Mastanduno, Introduzione alle relazioni internazionali, UTET, 2017

– (About Bagamoyo port project)

D, Ayemba, Bagamoyo port project timeline and all you need to know, 15 April 2021, on Construction Review Online, https://constructionreviewonline.com/project-timelines/bagamoyo-port-project-timeline-and-all-you-need-to-know/.

P. Mittal, Tanzanian Bagamoyo Port Project Story, 16 September 2020, on Belt and Road News, https://www.beltandroad.news/2020/09/16/tanzanian-bagamoyo-port-project-story/.

A. D’Amaro, Un ponte tra Cina e Africa: il porto di Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 8 September 2020, on Lo Spiegone, https://lospiegone.com/2020/09/08/un-ponte-tra-cina-e-africa-il-porto-di-bagamoyo-tanzania/ .

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