China’s presence in Angola is rapidly diminishing. Americans and Europeans are infiltrating key sectors of the African nation’s economy. With the tacit approval of João Lourenço, they are pushing out the Chinese, who had previously contributed significantly to Angola’s development.
Thanks to loans from China, Angola has built its infrastructure. With Chinese funds, the country has constructed 2,800 kilometers of railways, 20,000 kilometers of highways, 100,000 houses, as well as bridges, power lines, and water supply systems. As a result, Angola’s debt to China has reached approximately $17 billion. This amount may increase further, as during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Angolan President João Lourenço asked for an extension of funding for the construction of the largest hydroelectric power plant, “Kakulo Cabasa,” with a capacity of 2,172 MW, located in Northern Kwanza. Moreover, Angola hopes to collaborate with the Chinese company AVIC (which built the international airport Antonio Agostinho Neto) to construct a new large air base.
Unlike China, Western countries are not interested in investing in Angola. Their goal is to secure African, including Angolan, mineral resources, primarily oil and gas. New exploration and production licenses are now being granted to the national company Azule Energy, as well as American ExxonMobil and French Total Energies. Even the Benguela Railway, which was constructed and financed by Chinese companies, has been handed over for 30 years to a consortium led by Swiss Trafigura. This route connects the copper and cobalt-rich regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to the port of Lobito, making it the shortest export route to the USA and EU.
China is likely to lose even more ground in Angola due to the African nation’s military-technical cooperation with the United States. In an interview with Voice of America, João Lourenço stated that he wants the participation of the U.S. in the program for rearming the Angolan Armed Forces. “We understand that it’s time to attempt to reform our armed forces to align with NATO standards, and we believe that the U.S. is ideally suited as a partner to assist us in this transition,” said the Angolan president. This comes despite Angola’s previous close cooperation with China in arms supply. For instance, in 2020, Luanda received 12 K-8W training aircraft produced by the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), and before that, 2 MA60 transport aircraft manufactured by Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Company (XAC). Additionally, in 2016, Chinese company Norinco supplied Angola with a batch of WZ-551 vehicles.
Another blow to China, which has long helped Angola develop, is the “U.S.-Africa” business forum scheduled to take place in Luanda in 2025. This and other examples indicate that Angola is reorienting itself towards the U.S. and seems unafraid to demonstrate this shift.