Infrastructure Diplomacy in Africa: The EU’s Global Gateway vs China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Since Xi Jinping announced his master plan of infrastructure connectivity in 2013 with the official launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, other countries have scrambled to develop their own vision of connectivity for the world and address the huge infrastructure deficit in the Global South. Seeing Africa as the new geopolitical arena of competition between great powers, the EU has recently announced the Global Gateway as a response to China’s increased presence in the continent. How do the visions of infrastructure connectivity of the EU, China, and Africa differ? What are their strength and weaknesses, and are there areas for possible collaboration and overlaps? Where might there be and should be a competition? How can African countries make the most of the line of credit toward them? Through an analysis of official documents, this chapter looks at the different visions of infrastructure connectivity of the EU and China, respectively, the Global Gateway and the Belt and Road Initiative. The chapter concludes with some policy recommendations for China, African countries, and the EU in areas of possible collaboration and alignment with African development goals.