On January 9, 2025, from 9:30 am to 11:30, Center for Sub-Saharan African Studies of the Institute for International and Area Studies (IIAS) at Tsinghua University hosted the fifth lecture of the 2024-2025 autumn semester “Current African Situation and Prospects of Trump 2.0 Policies Towards Africa”. The lecture was held both online and offline and was delivered by Researcher He Wenping from the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies / China Africa Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). The event was moderated by Dr. Gao Liangmin, Director of the Center for Sub-Saharan African Studies (CSAS) and Assistant Professor at the Institute for International and Area Studies, Tsinghua University.
Researcher He Wenping first introduced the current political, economic, and security situation in Africa. She pointed out that Africa's political development exhibits a dual characteristic of stability and turmoil. While democracy in Africa has made progress, it also faces challenges related to "elections". Additionally, the new political ecology has raised new issues, such as ongoing unrest in North Africa, the transfer and spread of terrorism across the continent, and the difficult balance between "self-reliant peacekeeping" and "foreign intervention" in African security.
In the second part of the lecture, the focus shifted to the characteristics of Africa's security situation. Firstly, the frequent military coups in West Africa have significantly impacted France's interests and influence in the region, leading to a trend towards "de-Frenchification." Secondly, these military coups in West Africa have heralded a shift from "French withdrawal" to "Russian engagement." However, the speed and scale of Russia's involvement will depend on the reorganization of Wagner's forces and the evolving dynamics between Russia and the U.S., as well as between Russia and France.
Subsequently, she reviewed and forecasted recent economic conditions in Africa. Influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and extreme weather events, African countries are facing increased economic pressures, although growth prospects are gradually recovering. At the same time, some African countries are under heavy pressure from debt crises.
In the concluding part of the lecture, she provided an outlook on Trump's 2.0 policy towards Africa. From a strategic perspective, it is likely that Trump's approach will inherit some aspects of Biden's African strategy, yet fundamentally, Trump's 2.0 will continue the arrogance, disdain, and neglect seen during his 1.0 period. Africa has never been a priority in U.S. foreign policy, and this will remain the case in the Trump 2.0 era.
During the Q&A session following the lecture, Researcher He engaged in a lively discussion with teachers and students of IIAS as well as other online and offline participants on how China can manage its relationships with traditional major investors in Africa and emerging investment powers, as well as the constraints imposed by the U.S. on Africa and how to respond.
Professor He Wenping, Ph.D. Supervisor, Expert at the Research and Development International (RDI), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies / China Africa Institute. Professor He Wenping holds a Ph.D. in law from Peking University. She currently serves as a researcher, Ph.D. supervisor, and professor at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies / China Africa Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences as well as the State Council Special Allowance Expert. She obtained her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the School of International Studies at Peking University. She has been a visiting scholar at the Yale Center for International and Area Studies (1993-1994), University College London (1997), the Nordic Africa Institute (2008), the German Development Institute (2010), and the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro's BRICS Research Center (2013). In 2007, she was invited as a visiting scholar for the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program. In February 2016, she participated in academic exchanges in France through the "International Elite Program" invited by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has also visited and participated in international academic conferences in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, and other countries many times.
