Kenya China

Let’s not sugarcoat it — the tone from some quarters in Washington is not just transactional, it’s downright antagonistic. Trump and his allies have taken to wielding trade policy like a tantrum.

Disorderly tariffs. Erratic bans. South Sudanese passport holders blocked from entry. South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S. kicked out. Several African embassies closed, as recently announced.

All these moves reek of a politics that sees Africa not as a partner, but as a punching bag.

These aren’t just policy decisions — they’re a message: “Know your place.” And Africa has too often responded with silence, or worse, with invitations.

But we must stop shrinking from this. If a superpower wants to throw a fit every time Africa asserts itself, let them. We’re not here to babysit their egos. We’re here to build a future.

President William Ruto’s upcoming trip to China, from April 22 to 26, isn’t just another diplomatic excursion — it’s a test of whether Africa is ready to think as a bloc, act with strategy, and negotiate without fear. This isn’t about bilateral handshakes and stadium photos. This is about setting a new tone: one where African dignity is not traded for infrastructure, and African vision is not outsourced for aid.

Kenya may be the one at the table, but the meal — and the message — should be continental.

While China and the U.S. battle over tariffs, industrial policy, and global influence, Africa often stands on the sidelines like a cautious referee — nervous about blowing the whistle too hard. Yet it is the U.S., not Africa, that is losing trade ground. It is the U.S. that is imposing tariffs out of fear, and scrambling to protect its industries with subsidies disguised as patriotism.

Africa, by contrast, still negotiates as if it’s 1997 — afraid of what Washington might withhold, cautious about Beijing’s “generosity,” and uncertain of its own leverage. But let’s be honest: what are we still afraid of?

The IMF already punished us. AGOA is already expiring. Climate finance barely trickles in. We have nothing to lose — and everything to reclaim.

One of the most overlooked takeaways from global trade diplomacy is how ruthlessly effective collective bargaining can be. Europe does not send Malta and Slovakia to beg China for scraps. Brussels negotiates with one voice — heavy, bureaucratic, and effective. The EU protects its industries, its farmers, its green transition, and isn’t afraid to retaliate.

Africa, on the other hand, too often walks in as 54 soloists, each playing a different tune. The result? Divide and rule — now powered by spreadsheets and satellite deals. The U.S. doesn’t need to out-negotiate Africa. It just waits for one country to blink.

Let’s dispense with the melodrama. China isn’t a savior. But it’s not the villain either. It’s a superpower doing what superpowers do: pursuing its interests. The question is — are we pursuing ours?

China has shown that it responds well to clarity and strength. When African countries have a plan, not just a wish list, China listens. When we come united, we get better terms. When we come desperate, we get debt.

We've lost if Ruto leaves Beijing with just another loan and a nice ribbon-cutting photo. But if he emerges as a mobilizer of African strategy, Kenya becomes more than a client — it becomes a catalyst.

Ruto’s visit must not be narrowly framed. He has a chance to position himself as a continental statesman — one who speaks not just for Nairobi but for Addis, Abuja, Kigali, and beyond. He should go to China with a regional development agenda, pushing for:

- African value chains — not raw exports.
- Regional Special Economic Zones with shared ownership.
- Support for AfCFTA-linked infrastructure.
- Skills transfer, not just bricklaying contracts.

If China wants to deepen its Africa ties, let it prove it by supporting continental integration, not bilateral silos. Let it fund projects that connect regions — not just cities to ports for export.

Dependency Theory taught us that underdevelopment isn’t accidental — it’s manufactured by uneven global systems. But the modern version isn’t just about colonial cash flows. It’s also about psychological posture.

Neo-dependency today is about mindset. We’ve internalized smallness. We negotiate with gratitude instead of strategy. We act as if development is charity, not our right.

As the brilliant late Thandika Mkandawire once said: “We have failed to translate political liberation into economic self-determination.” The spine of our foreign policy is still bent.

Africa isn’t a pawn in someone else’s game. We are the game. The world needs our minerals, our markets, our people, our proximity. But leverage only matters when it's used.

President Ruto should leave China with this message clear:  Africa will not be divided. We will not be dictated to. And we are done negotiating from our knees.

If China wants long-term influence, it must help build African capacity — not extract African compliance.

And if Ruto succeeds in transforming a bilateral visit into a continental shift, then history may remember this trip not as a trade mission, but as the beginning of Africa’s economic realignment — from the shadows to the steering wheel.

Gem Musings is a seasoned International Relations and Public Affairs Strategist with extensive experience in global diplomacy, communication, and policy analysis.