Joe Biden receives this Friday, September 16 at the White House the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose views on the war in Ukraine are not, far from it, aligned with his. The American president intends to discuss with his guest “several topics including the climate crisis, how to develop trade and investment (…)and other pressing global challenges”said his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday.
Cyril Ramaphosa, who is going through a difficult political past, marked by accusations of money laundering and corruption, will also be received by Vice-President Kamala Harris. The United States has redoubled its efforts in recent months to strengthen its ties with Africa, where the growing influence of Russia and China worries them.
Joe Biden, who so far has not been to Africa, is organizing a major summit in Washington in December with leaders from the continent. South Africa, an economic heavyweight, occupies a prominent place in this charm offensive. But she made it clear that the challenges of the moment could not erase the solidarities and lessons of the past.
“Today’s outlook has its reasons and I don’t think anyone should pretend history didn’t exist”underlined the Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa Naledi Pandor, guest of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
Russia and China: two delicate subjects
South Africa has not forgotten the support given by the Soviet Union to the resistance against the apartheid regime, which the Western powers, on the contrary, have long allowed to flourish. “What I don’t like is being told what to do. I won’t let myself be pressured.”she had warned during the visit of Antony Blinken, in response to a question on the South African position vis-à-vis Russia.
The country has since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 adopted a neutral position, refusing to join Western calls to condemn Moscow. A senior White House official said on Thursday “looking forward to hearing South Africa’s views on how to bring about a just conclusion to the conflict” in Ukraine.
Another delicate subject in the background of the meeting in the famous Oval Office: China, with which South Africa has very good relations, but whose influence Washington wants to counter.
As on Russia, the White House approaches the interview with the greatest diplomatic precautions: African countries “have experience of relations with China, they have a positive and negative view. It is particularly important (…) to have honest conversations about the role of the great powers in the region”assured the senior official quoted above, who declined to be named.
He also indicated that the two presidents would discuss in detail the aid promised by the West for the energy transition in South Africa. The country, where coal plays a very important role, has been promised 8.5 billion dollars by several developed countries to wean itself off. But South Africa fears that this promise of financing will increase its debt.
Despite the differences, South African officials say they are much better disposed towards Joe Biden than towards his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who during his tenure spoke of Africa in particularly offensive terms. “Nobody to date has apologized for this,” underlined the South African foreign minister.
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