中國國家主席習近平和他的妻子彭麗媛，南非總統雅各布·祖馬和他的妻子圖貝卡·馬蒂芭·祖馬，出席在約翰內斯堡桑頓舉行的2015南非“中國年”南非文化晚會閉幕式，參會的還有幾位國家元首和政府首腦。

臨近2018年歲末，特朗普終於把目光投向長期被其忽視的非洲，通過國家安全事務助理博爾頓之口公布了姍姍來遲的美國非洲新戰略。但這份名為“繁榮非洲”（Prosper Africa）的新戰略卻沿襲了特朗普執政以來秉承的“美國利益優先”的舊原則，不僅完全從美國利益（而不是非洲利益和需要）出發來安排美非合作，而且毫不諱言新戰略的目標是要制衡中俄在非洲的影響力。這讓人嗅到經濟新冷戰的味道。

把“美國利益優先”嵌入非洲新戰略

特朗普入主白宮之前以及執政近兩年來，其對非洲的認知和相關表述一直為非洲國家和國際社會所詬病。入主白宮前，特朗普就毫不掩飾對非洲及非洲人的負面看法，認為“非洲人是群懶漢和蠢貨，只會吃、做愛和偷盜”，並稱“如果你們不喜歡美國，就回到你們非洲去”。入主白宮近兩年來，特朗普本人不僅從未到訪非洲，在白宮也只接待過一位非洲國家領導人（尼日利亞總統布哈里），而且在推特上仍改不了“大嘴”和輕蔑非洲的態度，稱非洲國家是“糞坑”國家，還妄言“南非土改已經殺死很多白人農場主”，等等。特朗普執政初期，一方面對非洲國家及一些非洲事務表態口無遮攔，另一方面長期不任命非洲事務助理國務卿，美國一些駐非國家大使職位也長期空缺。然而近半年來，隨着美國國內中期選舉落幕，特別是看到中非關係發展不斷開創新篇章，特朗普總統開始坐不住了。不久前他派出第一夫人梅拉尼婭出訪非洲，現在又推出美國的非洲新戰略。

按照博爾頓的說法，美國的非洲新戰略將在“美國利益優先”指導原則下重點關注三個領域：在經濟層面加強與非洲國家的經貿合作，推出“繁榮非洲”計劃，推動與非洲國家簽訂更廣泛的雙邊經貿協議，並支持美國企業對非投資；在反恐和軍事合作方面繼續打擊“伊斯蘭國”等極端組織在非洲的活動，但將逐步減少美軍在非洲的存在，爭取未來三年削減大約10%的駐非美軍；在對非援助方面不再“無選擇”地對非援助，而將設定“優先”國家進行“有選擇”地對外資金援助，以便更有效地利用美國援非資金。換言之，美國今後的對非援助決不搞一碗水端平，而是要赤裸裸地“看人下菜碟”了。而援助誰，援助多少，完全取決於這些國家與美國的親疏遠近。博爾頓稱，美國正在制定一項適用於全球範圍的對外援助戰略，確保每一筆援助資金都能強化美國利益。他還明確說，那些在國際場合不斷投票反對美國的國家，或是在行動上違背美國利益的國家，“都不應該獲得美國慷慨的援助”。

非洲新戰略意在制衡中俄在非洲的影響力

在闡述美國非洲新戰略的講話中，博爾頓還將中國和俄羅斯列為美國在非洲的競爭對手，聲稱中俄正在非洲通過“掠奪性做法”來“迅速擴大金融和政治影響力”。新戰略把美國對非洲地區的願景美化為“獨立、自立和增長”，給中俄對非合作則貼上“依賴、支配和債務”的標籤。

盯住中國，眼紅中非關係的迅速發展，可以說是特朗普推出非洲新戰略的一個重要背景。早在去年3月，時任美國國務卿蒂勒森首次出訪非洲，就選擇了埃塞俄比亞、吉布提和肯雅，針對中國的意味很明顯。中國首個海外軍事後勤保障基地就在吉布提，而且在此修建了港口、自貿區等項目，包括聯通吉布提和埃塞俄比亞的亞吉鐵路。肯雅和埃塞俄比亞是“一帶一路”建設的關鍵戰略支點國家和中非產能合作“先行先試”示範國，埃塞俄比亞還被西方一些媒體稱為“非洲的中國”。6月18日，美國新任國務卿蓬佩奧在底特律經濟俱樂部發表演講的時候，也明確表示美國將在非洲發力，“驅除”中國在非洲的影響力，讓非洲走美國的經濟發展方式和政治模式。針對9月初中非合作論壇北京峰會推出的總額600億美元的“八項行動”，美國政府也計劃整合一個有權進行600億美元投資的新機構——美國國際發展金融公司，投資重點將是非洲地區。

其實，中國一向對國際對非合作持歡迎、鼓勵、推動態度，乃至發揮帶頭作用。中國國家主席習近平五年四次對非洲進行國事訪問，2015年和2018年分別在南非約翰內斯堡及中國北京兩次主持中非合作論壇峰會。中非合作從非洲需要和非洲發展利益出發，從不對其他國家的對非合作指指點點和說三道四。特朗普政府重視非洲發展並推出非洲新戰略是值得歡迎的好事，但如果繼續死抱“美國利益優先”的舊原則和冷戰的零和舊思維，則“繁榮非洲”恐怕仍只是一個美麗的“說法”，終將難以變成現實。

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, President Jacob Zuma and his wife Tobeka Madiba Zuma are joined by several Heads of States and Government at the closing ceremony of the 2015 Year of China in South Africa cultural evening in Sandton, Johannesburg. (Picture Credit: GovernmentZA)

US President Donald Trump has finally set his eyes on the long-overlooked Africa. National Security Advisor John Bolton announced the long overdue new African strategy. Yet the new 'Prosper Africa' initiative takes as its guide the 'old principle' of 'American interests first'. Cooperation with Africa has been arranged completely on the basis of American interests instead of those of Africa. The administration also declared in no uncertain terms that the new strategy is aimed at balancing Chinese and Russian influence in Africa, raising the spectre of an economic Cold War.

Embedding 'American interests first' in the new African strategy

Trump's knowledge of and statements about Africa before and since his inauguration on 20 January 2017 have long been criticized by African countries and the world community at large. As a presidential candidate, Trump never concealed his negative views of Africa and Africans, describing Africans as 'lazy fools only good at lovemaking and stealing' and claiming that Africans should 'go back to Africa' if they don't like America. In the past two years in the White House, the President has never visited Africa and has received only one African leader, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. His tweets have been consistently contemptuous of Africa, calling African countries 'shithole countries' and even ranting about the 'large scale killing of white farmers' in South Africa's land reform.Besides being a big mouth on African countries and affairs, Trump has appointed neither an assistant secretary of state for African affairs nor ambassadors to several African countries for a long time. Nonetheless, in the past half year, as the midterm elections came to an end, and in the face of continued growth of China-Africa relations, President Trump could no longer sit still. Not long ago First Lady Melania Trump was sent to Africa for a visit and now the new African strategy has been released.

According to Bolton, the new strategy will be guided by the principle of 'American interests first' and focus on three areas. Economic cooperation will be strengthened with the 'Prosper Africa' plan by signing more extensive bilateral economic agreements and supporting American investments in Africa. In terms of anti-terror and military cooperation, the US will continue striking ISIS and other extremist organizations in Africa while gradually reducing American military presence there by about 10% in the coming three years. In terms of assistance, the US will target its funding selectively toward key countries and particular strategic objectives instead of indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent so as to achieve higher efficiency for American assistance.In other words, there will be no equal treatment without discrimination in the future. Instead, while providing assistance to Africa, the US will select the recipients and determine the amounts completely on the basis of their closeness to the US. Bolton announced that the US is making a global assistance strategy to make sure any sum of aid money is being used to advance American interests. He was also explicit that those countries voting against the US on international forums or taking actions counter to US interests 'should not receive generous American aid.'

The new African strategy is aimed at balancing Chinese and Russian influence in Africa

In his statement on the new African strategy, Bolton identified China and Russia as America's competitors in Africa, accusing them of 'rapidly expanding economic and political influence in Africa' through 'predatory practices'. The new strategy beautifies the American vision for Africa as 'independence, self-reliance and growth' while labelling Chinese and Russia cooperation there as creating 'dependence, subordination and debt'.

Keeping a close watch on China and being jealous of the rapid growth of China-Africa relations seems to have motivated Trump's new African strategy. As early as last March, then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson selected Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya as the destinations for his first African visit, apparently having China in mind. The first Chinese overseas logistics base is in Djibouti and China has helped construct a port, a free trade zone, and a railway linking Djibouti to Addis Ababa. Kenya and Ethiopia are both strategic fulcrums of the Belt and Road Initiative and examples of capacity cooperation. Ethiopia is even described by some Western media as 'China in Africa'. In a speech at the Detroit Economic Club on 18 June, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also made it clear that the US will take action in Africa to drive Chinese influence out of the continent and let Africa follow American economic and political models. With the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) identifying eight action areas with a total worth of $60 billion, the American government has also created the US International Development Finance Corporation and given it the power to decide on the investments of $60 billion dollars, primarily in Africa.

As a matter of fact, China has always welcomed, encouraged, and even led international cooperation in Africa. President Xi Jinping has visited Africa four times in the past five years and presided over the FOCAC summits twice, in Johannesburg (2015) and Beijing (2018). Our cooperation with African countries has developed on the basis of African needs and interests. And China has never pointed fingers at or made carping comments on other countries' cooperation with Africa. It is a good thing that the Trump administration now gives attention to African development and introduce a new African strategy. But if it holds on to the old principle of putting American interests first and the old Cold War mentality of a zero-sum game, the 'Prosper Africa' statement will remain beautiful rhetoric instead of being turned into reality.