Chinese presidency Xi Jinping arrived in Senegal on July 22 for a two-day visit, the first stop over of an Africa visit that will also see him head to Rwanda, South Africa and Mauritius.
The Chinese leader arrived in Africa a day before prime minister Narendra Modi arrived in Uganda on Monday on the first stop of his three-nation tour that includes Rwanda and South Africa.
Both leaders are attending the 10th BRICS summit in South Africa from July 25 to 27. The summit will focus a great deal on Africa, a continent of 54 countries most of them resource rich and with rapidly growing markets.
Xi is the first Chinese president to visit Rwanda; likewise Modi is the first Indian PM to visit that country. Rwanda, with which India has had a strategic partnership since 2017, is also a recipient of Indian lines of credit of nearly $400 million.
Beijing invested $100 million in Senegal. And it has become senegal’s biggest trading partner after France.
“India and China are competing for political space and economic/natural resources opportunities in Africa”,explained strategic affair expert Specialist.China has diplomatic missions in 43 african countries.India has 29 resident mission in Africa .To expand its outreach on the continent,the Indian government ,early this year,approved 18 new diplomatic missions that are to be established over a 4 year period ending 2021.
Speacialist added that considering that both India and China are looking for “Long term energy option”around the world,there is “logic to the priority being accorded to Africa by both these countries”.
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