Trump Biden's 'China' Final Showdown: Africa's 'Tariffs' vs. 'Railroads'

Trump Biden's 'China' Final Showdown: Africa's 'Tariffs' vs. 'Railroads'

The final showdown between the Biden Democratic Party's $80 billion railroad project and the Trump administration's tariff dominance policy is taking place in Africa.

On the 30th, US President-elect Trump posted on his social media, 'Truth Social', that he could impose a 100% tariff on 'BRICS', which is trying to challenge the US' 'dollar hegemony', and said, "The days of us just sitting back and watching BRICS countries try to get away from the dollar are over."

President-elect Trump continued, "We demand that these countries promise not to create a new BRICS currency or replace the strong US dollar with another currency," and "If they don't, they will face a 100% tariff and say goodbye to a great US export market," and "There is no possibility that BRICS countries will replace the US dollar in international trade, and any country that tries to do so will have to say goodbye to the United States."

BRICS, which is attempting to de-dollarize trade, started with China's economic superiority, and the Trump regime's recent remarks to strengthen its strategy toward China are focused on the US's strategic decisions in South Africa.

At the Washington summit with the leaders of 49 African countries in December last year, the US made political and financial promises in its "Africa strategy" and went on a three-day tour of Africa from December 2nd, the last day of his term, to redevelop the Lobito Corridor railway in Zambia, Congo, and Angola, investing 800 miles (1,300 km) and 2.5 billion dollars.

Regarding Biden's first visit to the African continent as president, the AP reported on the 2nd, "He left it until the end, and the Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment aims to strengthen the US position in a region rich in key minerals used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices, and clean energy technologies." "This is a key area of ​​the US-China competition, and China is controlling Africa's key minerals."

The AP continued, “The Biden administration has touted the corridor as one of President Trump’s signature initiatives,” and “Biden is starting a three-day visit to Angola, but the future of Lobito and the way the U.S. relates to the continent of 1.4 billion people who depend heavily on China will depend on the incoming administration of Donald Trump.”

President Obama’s 2015 visit to Africa was the last by a U.S. president.

“Africa never gets the best attention,” Whitney Schneemann, an expert on African economic growth at the Brookings Institution, told the AP.

“Many are optimistic that the Lobito project, which is not expected to be completed until well after Biden leaves office, will survive the change of government and be given a chance,” the AP said, citing analysts. “That should go some way to blunting China, which enjoys bipartisan support and is high on Trump’s to-do list.”

Christian-Géraud Neema, who analyzes China-Africa relations, told the AP that “as long as they continue to classify Lobito as one of the main anti-China tools in Africa, there is a possibility that the funding will continue.”

“President Biden is no longer the story,” Mbemba Dizolele, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the AP. “Even African leaders are focused on Donald Trump.”

The $80 billion that the U.S. has invested in the Lobito Corridor, a response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, is being financed by the European Union, the Group of Seven, Western-led private consortia and African banks.