The aftermath of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is clear: Washington’s economic and diplomatic influence on the continent is set to wane even further. Beijing has backed a consensus to help African states increase “their influence and role in global governance,” and 30 clean energy projects stand to deepen development cooperation in the coming years. 

In stark contrast, Washington doesn’t have the diplomatic foresight, economic muscle, or investment potential to rival such a consensus. Instead, it insists that China is spreading misinformation across the Sahel to “undermine” so-called US influence. That influence was lost a long time ago through unwarranted sanctions, diplomatic meddling and military interference. Washington’s present anxiety is set to grow as Beijing and African states ramp up their cooperation across a range of fields, regardless of what the US thinks.

Look at China’s desire to attract more African states to the ‘BRICS’ grouping. Washington is once again an outlier when it comes to the growing economic appeal, development potential, and multilateral allure of BRICS. More African engagement under the multilateral grouping could further reorient the continent’s foreign policy away from US hegemonic designs. It could end up refocusing cooperation towards nations that truly prioritize Africa’s sustainable development needs. China and Africa’s joint support for an “orderly multipolar world” offers nuanced pushback against the historical injustices sustained under a US-dominated Western world order. From historical injustices to Africa’s low-priority status in US foreign policy, Washington’s blatant neglect of this mega-diverse continent is revealing its implications. The message is clear: more foreign interference on the continent will not be tolerated.

Washington is also feeling the heat. It is pushing misinformation against China and Russia by painting both countries as a source of instability across civil society and African militaries. But it refuses to admit that blatant US military interference has been the real troubling factor. For instance, Washington was forced to withdraw all its troops from Niger this year, further weakening its claim that it is a positive force for counterterrorism cooperation in Africa. If the US has been a genuine partner with African states, why has it not gone out of its way to relieve Africa’s debt burdens and facilitate development? 

African states are now showing considerable autonomy in their pivot towards China, which proposed a string of debt relief measures and has reportedly laid the groundwork for more development projects and nearly one million jobs. “We [China and Africa] highlight the significance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and that the full implementation of the AfCFTA agreement will boost Africa’s economic development including through value addition and job creation,” affirmed China and Africa in a joint statement last week. 

Thus, joint development progress in the aftermath of FOCAC will further debunk discredited US allegations of a Chinese “debt trap” on the continent and expose US aversion to the Belt and Road. A 30-point joint declaration on Africa’s future last week makes certain that the continent will not follow US dictates on its sovereign decisions or its right to exercise a multi-vector foreign policy.

The time for “catch-up” with China also appears long over. For instance, Washington has failed to catch up with China’s trade momentum in Africa for years. Beijing has positioned itself as the continent’s largest partner for the past 15 years. 

While Washington prioritized billions for "Israel’s" genocide in Gaza, China pledged $50 billion in financing to improve African livelihoods. Now as anger grows among African states over Washington’s role in the genocide, the US is pitching two permanent UN Security Council seats for African countries at a time when China is leading joint calls for reform. Thus, Washington’s offering is not an act of altruism or justice for Africa: it is a desperate attempt to repair ties with a continent that the US deliberately placed on the backburner.

These attempts are unlikely to pay off because Washington is treating the continent as a theater for great power competition. It is engaged against Russia in a so-called battle for influence in Africa, the same rationale used by Washington to advance its colonial mentality in other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific. Africa’s growing pivot towards China puts a premium on its right to shape its own future and doesn’t entail long-term sanctions and unfair treatment as imposed by the US and its Western allies. From Eritrea, South Sudan, and Sudan to Zimbabwe, these African states are aware that sanctions are Western instruments to hinder economic and social progress. If Washington feels it can encroach upon Africa’s sovereignty through illegal measures and an iron fist, it is in for a telling surprise.

The reality is that the space to justify illegal US measures is shrinking. China has moved ahead with a consensus on stable supply chains with Africa, industrial cooperation, and green growth, leaving US foreign policy effectively on the fringes. Add to it former US President Donald Trump’s possible re-election, and little suggests a change in course for Washington’s continued economic and diplomatic isolation in Africa.