Last year, President Trump finally imposed tariffs on Chinese goods following a series of threats with China retaliating by setting tariffs on goods like sorghum and soybeans. Following these internecine trade policies, there have been temporary truces to lift the tariffs with a final deadline on the deal expected to be reached by March 1 this year.
 
Behind this Sino-American relation lies African countries whose major trading partners are, inadvertently, China and the USA. These nations are likely to feel the effect of this strained relation between the world’s economic powerhouses. China’s influence on the continent is constantly increasing following major infrastructure projects financed by Chinese entities. Moreover, the Belt and Road Initiative- which has been likened to the new silk road- sutures this multinational cooperation through summits like the Forum on China-Africa Relations (FOCAC)
 
The American trade tariffs lead to increased dumping of Chinese products to African countries. In 2017, the US imported $2.7 billion worth of seafood from China according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Coincidentally, only recently did Kenya begin purchasing seafood from China repressing the local market. This was followed by protest from Kenyan fishermen who demanded that the government regulate the amount of fish being imported. Currently, a short-lived ban against Chinese seafood has been lifted.
 
African countries are acting as innocent backdrops for the war policy between these two countries. As President Xi directs more focus on Africa to spite the US, the US is planning on countering China’s influence in these countries. During a press briefing, President’s Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton accused China of “using bribes, opaque agreements and [strategic debt]” to hold captive the governments. Washington is now focused on strengthening their relationship with the region to provide opportunities for American businesses while ‘protecting its sovereignty.’
 
Based on these two examples, Africa is definitely a playground for these nations policies and should not be ignored when looking into the US-China foreign relations.