While African leaders convened in Beijing last week for the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, the state of affairs in Somalia continues to stand in sharp contrast to the continent’s overall improving relations with China.
Somalia’s state makes it an exception to China’s financial incentives offered to many African countries in exchange for access to Africa’s abundant raw materials, which are vital resources.
In addition to internal corruption and long-standing clan rivalries that have hampered Somalia’s governance and development for more than three decades, the country still faces threats from the al-Shabaab militia.
Even though it is a noteworthy gesture, China’s recent support of 200 million yuan ($28 million) to Somalia is little compared to the support given by Somalia’s allies.
On Somali social media, criticism of China’s declining interest in the country has been expressed.
The leader of the opposition Wadajir party reminded people that, although China had the largest embassy in Africa in Mogadishu in the 1960s, there was obviously no interest in the country anymore.
“But who bears the fault? “Is it on our end?” he asks.
Some, such as prominent Somalis, contend that China’s assistance pales in comparison to that of the West. “Solidarity received over $150 million in aid from USAID alone. In contrast, $28 million is that.It is not significant. Overall, the support provided by the other allies like west and the Chinese cannot be compared, he continued.
Famous Somali Journalist M.A expressed concerns about China’s lending policies, cautioning that when debts are unpaid, Chinese loans frequently cause African countries to lose control of vital infrastructure. “China is precisely doing that to a lot of African nations. He continued, “It’s similar to holding someone ransom—you owe them money and wait for them to go broke.”
China’s objectives at the summit are quite clear: deepening industrialization, collaborating on agriculture, and forming security alliances as part of the Belt and Road initiative. The discrepancy between Chinese assistance and other countries aid to nations such as Somalia, however, keeps stoking discussion regarding the actual significance of these alliances.
Unanswered is the question of who is to blame for Somalia’s precarious position in international relations as the country struggles to stabilize. While some attribute the fault to internal factors, others highlight the shifting interests of global powers.