Last week China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang announced that China is ready to work with Gabon to consolidate mutual trust, expand practical cooperation and promote China-Gabon partnership at a higher level. These comments were made during Qin Gang’s meeting with Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba in Libreville.
Qin also stated that both countries will safeguard the core interests and uphold basic norms of international relations, securing international justice and equity. Qin also stressed China’s willingness to prove an aid to Gabon’s key sectors.
China-Gabon history
While the two countries are not geographically close, but they have had diplomatic relations since 1964. China has been interested in building stronger ties with Gabon for several reasons.
One reason is Gabon’s natural resources, particularly its oil reserves. Gabon is a major oil producer in Africa and China has been looking to secure reliable sources of energy to fuel its rapid economic growth.
Gabon’s strategic location is also important. Gabon is located on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, making it a gateway to other countries in the region. This makes it a valuable partner for China in terms of economic and political influence. China has also invested in various infrastructure projects in Gabon, such as building hospitals, schools and other public facilities, which has helped in the improvement of bilateral relations.
China has also been promoting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) an ambitious infrastructure and investment project to connect Asia, Europe and Africa, Gabon’s geographical location and potential as a transit hub are useful for expanding China’s ambitions in the region
China ultimately perceives Gabon as an important partner in Africa that can help support its economic and strategic goals, and it has been actively working to improve relations with Gabon in recent years. China has been a significant economic partner for Gabon by investing in infrastructure and proving loans and aid.
However, there are concerns about China’s economic influence in Africa and the potential for it to lead to debt issues for African countries. Some analysts have raised concerns about the sustainability of Chinese loans and the potential for them to lead to “debt trap” situations, where a country is unable to repay its loans and ends up losing control of strategic assets.
Image Credit: REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
