Does China Benefit From the U.S. Stripping Cameroon of Its AGOA Privileges?

Summary

The U.S. decision to revoke Cameroon's AGOA trade privileges due to human rights violations may inadvertently benefit China's influence in Africa.

Abstract

The Trump administration's move to terminate Cameroon's preferential trade access to the U.S. market, citing "gross violations of internationally recognized human rights," has sparked debate on the implications for geopolitical influence in Africa. While the U.S. aims to penalize human rights abuses, the action is perceived by some as inconsistent with its foreign policy towards other authoritarian regimes. Critics argue that this could push Cameroon and other African nations closer to China and Russia, which offer economic partnerships without human rights conditions. Despite the minimal direct trade impact between the U.S. and Cameroon, the symbolic gesture contrasts with China's debt relief and trade initiatives in the region, potentially enhancing China's standing in Africa at the expense of U.S. interests.

Opinions

Cameroon's Minister Delegate at the Ministry of External Relations, Felix Mbayu, suggests the U.S. is more concerned with Cameroon's relationship with China than human rights, implying the U.S. action is disingenuous.
Chris W. J. Roberts, a political science instructor at the University of Calgary, points out that the U.S. policy could inadvertently drive African states further into the arms of China and Russia due to the lack of human rights scrutiny from these nations.
The U.S. is criticized for having an inconsistent human rights policy, as it has embraced authoritarian leaders from countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, North Korea, and Egypt, making the sanction against Cameroon appear hypocritical or cynical.
The Cameroonian government downplays the impact of losing AGOA privileges, citing existing economic relationships with China, Russia, and Singapore as alternatives to U.S. trade.
The timing of China's debt relief for Cameroon and its hosting of Cameroonian officials at the China International Import Expo contrasts sharply with the U.S. decision, highlighting a narrative of China being more collaborative with African countries.

Does China Benefit From the U.S. Stripping Cameroon of Its AGOA Privileges?

At first glance, it would seem that the Trump administration’s decision to revoke Cameroon’s free-trade privileges would be counterproductive at this time when the U.S. is battling hard against the Chinese for influence in Africa. After all, Washington sanctioning Youndé on human rights plays right into the hands of the Chinese who say this is exactly the kind of thing they would never do.

But it’s not that simple.

Last week, President Trump notified Congress that he will terminate Cameroon’s preferential trade access to the U.S. market as of January 1 due to “persistent gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”

Cameroon: This Has Nothing to do With Human Rights, It’s All About China

In an interview with CNN over the weekend, Cameroon’s Minister Delegate at the Ministry of External Relations Felix Mbayu bluntly accused the United States of being disingenuous about its concern for human rights. “The simple truth is that the U.S. is unhappy with a certain stance we take with China,” he said.

There’s no doubt the Trump administration is vulnerable here to Mbayu’s critique. In sharp contrast to his predecessors, the U.S. president has downplayed the role of human rights in U.S. foreign policy. Instead, the administration has embraced the leaders of a number of authoritarian countries with well-documented human rights violations including Saudi Arabia, Russia, North Korea, and Egypt among others. So, by sanctioning Yaoundé on human rights grounds, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that a lot of observers regard U.S. policy as inconsistent at best or cynically disingenuous at worst.

“Washington’s move could push Cameroon and other African states further into the waiting arms of China and Russia — countries that do not ask questions about human rights.”

Chris W. J. Roberts, POLITICAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

Given that the two countries did relatively little trade with one another, the economic stakes are not very high, prompting Mbayu to brush off the White House announcement: “The government has no move to make; we have other partners like China, Russia, and Singapore who are ready to do business with us… We have no reaction to the U.S,” Mbayu told CNN.

The Optics of This in Africa Don’t Look Good for the U.S.

Cameroon is now the second country in as many years to have its AGOA privileges stripped following Rwanda’s suspension last year over its refusal to accept used clothing imports from the United States. This combined with tariffs on South African steel and aluminum exports all give the impression of a more hostile U.S. trade policy towards Africa just as China is making moves in the opposite direction.

It’s the same in Rwanda where Zhejiang province teamed up with Alibaba and Dubai Ports World to open the country’s newest dry-port.

These examples are admittedly rather small-scale but they do point to a larger, more important narrative that China appears to be open for business, working collaboratively with African countries and the United States is not. Whether that assessment is actually true is beside the point because in this kind of geopolitics these kinds of optics are very important.