Africa urged to 'derisk' from US after Trump's tariffs

Prof Dr WANG Yiwei, Vice President of Academy of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era Renmin University of China. [Brian Ngugi, Standard]

African nations, including Kenya, should strategically reduce their economic reliance on the United States and diversify their trade and industrial partners.

This follows the imposition of trade tariffs by the Trump administration.

A prominent Chinese scholar said on Monday that the continent must open its doors to other potential pathways to survive the current global economic storm.

Professor Dr Wang Yiwei of Renmin University of China told a public lecture in Beijing that African countries should resist pressure stemming from the US tariffs.

Instead, they should actively seek new global supply chains and prioritize industrialisation to bolster their economies.

"Try to derisk. Be more independent and connected with other partners and supply chains," he said.

The Trump administration's imposition of tariffs on goods from multiple nations, including those in Africa, has sparked widespread fears of trade disruption and ignited retaliatory measures, escalating into a global trade war.

Kenyan exporters, among others, face potential lockouts and increased costs, which threaten established trade partnerships and raise concerns about economic stability in the region following the US's imposition of 10 percent reciprocal tariffs on Kenyan goods.

In his public lecture Wang, who is also the Jean Monnet Chair Professor and President of the Academy of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, said China's own modernisation journey offered a valuable blueprint for African development.

He highlighted China's rapid industrialization, infrastructure development, and poverty reduction as key lessons for African nations historically relegated to exporting raw materials under a colonial-era economic model.

"China was one of the poorest countries of the world four decades ago. Why did this change?" Wang asked, emphasizing China's self-driven development path.

He argued that China's modernisation, with its long-term strategic planning and infrastructure focus, presented an "alternative model that emphasizes autonomy and partnership on more equitable terms" compared to traditional Western development approaches.

Wang urged African countries to align their national development strategies with sectors where China has excelled, including infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology transfer, and to upgrade their industrial capabilities.

He pointed to China's achievement of a 400-million-strong middle class, the resolution of food scarcity, and the elimination of agricultural taxes as milestones in its modernization.

"China's modernisation is for all of the countries," Wang said, contrasting it with Western models.

He highlighted China's growing self-confidence derived from its developmental successes.

Drawing on policy documents from the Communist Party of China, Wang stressed that China's modernization path was unique and tailored to its national conditions, rejecting the notion of importing or exporting a singular model.

He underscored the historical lesson that national strength is not achieved by relying on external forces or blindly copying others.

Wang outlined key characteristics of Chinese modernization, including its vast population base, pursuit of common prosperity, coordinated material and cultural-ethical advancement, harmonious coexistence with nature, and commitment to peaceful development.