By: David Shoombe
In the recent two-day US–China summit in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the US delegation that “China and the USA should be partners, not rivals.
Addressing the USA delegation at the State Banquet, Jinping indicated that both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.
“President Trump and I also agreed to build a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, to promote the steady, sound, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations and bring more peace, prosperity, and progress to the world,” Jinping stated.
US President Donald Trump shared that after the first US consul’s establishment in China in 1784, which marked the start of friendly relations, “two and a half centuries later, that first connection has grown into one of the most consequential relationships in world history.”
The summit between the two global economic powerhouses sought to ease the long-standing tensions between the two nations, including the tariff war, economic competition, and concerns affecting the global economy. It also aimed to reduce the recent tensions between Iran and the USA.
The USA, being a world economic powerhouse with a GDP projected to be beyond the US$30 trillion mark by 2026, has been central to the global economic realignment.
This includes the trade tariffs in 2026, the cutting of the financial support to key United Nations agencies, and the control of new critical minerals in the world.
Additionally, China stood as the second-largest economy in the world, with Worldometer projecting it to have a nominal GDP of US$20.6–20.7 trillion. The nation has the same ambition of growth and is equally a global economic influencer.
David Dasilva, a graduate researcher in international relations, stated that tensions between the USA and China are inevitable, as the two powers are competing for global dominance in various areas.
“Africa and the Middle East were central to the conversations between the USA and China, as they are key enablers of modern development through critical minerals and oil production,” Dasilva said.
Dasilva added that the rising global oil prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East are of major concern to both the USA and China.
Trade analyses have shown that China’s continued rise as a global power is inevitable, and that competition over resources in continents such as Africa will play a role in determining its strength and ability to sustain growth in technology, artificial intelligence, and energy.
Trade policy analyses have illustrated that the USA’s trade policy with Africa, known as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), allows African countries to access the US market and trade at zero tariffs.
However, this policy now appears to face strong competition from China’s new tariff-free trade policy with Africa, introduced in 2026.
