The Competition for Oil and Gas in Africa

Abstract

China and the US are two key players in the recent round of ‘scrambling’ for Africa. They compete for control over oil and other strategic resources, for markets, and for political influence. To understand the concerns of many who have been alarmed by the competition, this article identifies what the US and China are actually doing in Africa and explains how they perceive each other's activities. It argues that alarmists often consider the ambitions of both China and the US in isolation; when laid out side by side, the extent to which their activities in Africa overlap or clash can be seen more clearly. That is, China and the US are seeking different things at different places in the continent and are careful not to step on the each other's toe. Their activities do not support the dire prediction. The ‘scramble for Africa’ may irritate; it is unlikely to cause direct confrontations because competition remains by and large economic and economic competition in an integrated global market creates networks of constraints that ameliorate potential confrontation.