--- title: How Chinese Loans to Africa Threaten U.S. National Security description: As African countries sink deeper and deeper into Beijing’s carefully laid debt trap, the United States could pay a steep cost. canonical: https://time.com/5381467/china-africa-debt-us-security/ author: Grant T. Harris article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-30T10:44:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:17:17.340Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How Chinese Loans to Africa Threaten U.S. National Security og:description: African countries are sinking deeper into Beijing’s carefully laid debt trap og:url: https://time.com/5381467/china-africa-debt-us-security/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd68c927a74061fbe/69893901ab6d77359b6b38a8/beijing-summit-china-africa-cooperation.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 8901 og:image:height: 5007 og:image:alt: 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation - Previews og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Chinese Loans to Africa Threaten U.S. National Security twitter:description: African countries are sinking deeper into Beijing’s carefully laid debt trap twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd68c927a74061fbe/69893901ab6d77359b6b38a8/beijing-summit-china-africa-cooperation.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # China Is Loaning Billions of Dollars to African Countries. Here's Why the U.S. Should Be Worried > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Grant T. Harris](https://time.com/author/grant-t-harris/) ## Grant T. Harris Aug 30, 2018 10:44 AM UTC  A flower parterre is set to welcome the upcoming 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) at Dongdan on August 26, 2018 in Beijing, China. The 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is scheduled to be held on September 3-4 in Beijing. A flower parterre is set to welcome the upcoming 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) at Dongdan on August 26, 2018 in Beijing, China. The 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is scheduled to be held on September 3-4 in Beijing. VCG/VCG via Getty Images by [Grant T. Harris](https://time.com/author/grant-t-harris/) ## Grant T. Harris Aug 30, 2018 10:44 AM UTC Next week, China will host leaders from across Africa for a summit in Beijing. The last summit was held in December 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Chinese President Xi Jinping announced $60 billion in funding support for infrastructure development in Africa. The upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is sure to include an eye-popping announcement of billions of dollars more in Chinese financing to build infrastructure across the continent. But these massive loans can come with steep and opaque conditions. It’s tempting for Americans to think this is not our problem. But as African countries sink deeper and deeper into Beijing’s carefully laid debt trap, the United States could pay a steep cost in reduced cooperation on counterterrorism and job creation. Chinese debt has become the methamphetamines of infrastructure finance: highly addictive, readily available, and with long-term negative effects that far outweigh any temporary high. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, where China has become the [largest provider](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/KkaUCzpApYFq2pBzTgtNAX?domain=brookings.edu) of bilateral loans. [Forty percent](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/yVg9CADrDKIOW3o5sY%5F-sO?domain=reuters.com) of sub-Saharan African countries are already at high risk of debt distress; by having so much debt concentrated in the hands of a single lender, they are dangerously beholden to their supplier. Why does this matter? Because in Africa and elsewhere, governments have secured massive loans from Beijing using strategic assets—such as oil, minerals, and land rights— as collateral. If borrower nations find themselves unable to repay the loan, China can claim the strategic asset. Sri Lanka recently learned this the hard way and handed over control of the port of Hambantota, giving China a strategic foothold along a busy trade waterway. According to [Professor Brahma Chellaney](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/cbHhCBBvB9cK49mNhWZ5lQ?domain=project-syndicate.org) at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, “several other countries, from Argentina to Namibia to Laos, have been ensnared in a Chinese debt trap, forcing them to confront agonizing choices in order to stave off default.” While Chinese debt diplomacy may not seem relevant to most Americans, it is a serious threat to U.S. national security. Most directly, China’s crafty negotiations and seizure of strategic assets can limit U.S. influence and access overseas. For instance, the tiny country of Djibouti is home to the most significant American military base in Africa. Thanks to Chinese loans, Djibouti’s debt-to-GDP ratio surged from [50 to 85 percent between 2014 and 2016](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/ev7OCDkxkWTAVKmZhkx79R?domain=cgdev.org). If Djibouti were to default and relinquish the port that resupplies the U.S. base, American military capability in Africa and the Middle East could be seriously threatened. More broadly, unsustainable levels of debt can destabilize African states, which also compromises American security interests. Over-leveraged governments can get caught in a downward spiral of [credit downgrades](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/RJ6XCERyRWsxDJGjIBV8Dr?domain=ft.com), reckless economic policies, and reduced spending on social services. With economic stagnation comes fewer opportunities for Africa’s fast-growing and young population. And the toxic brew of economic hopelessness and political disillusionment can drive disaffected youth toward violent extremism. That can threaten Americans abroad and, potentially, even at home. Finally, China’s debt diplomacy shuts out opportunities for U.S. businesses. Not only do Beijing’s cheap infrastructure loans come with conditions to employ Chinese companies, they also set out technical specifications for projects like high-speed railways and wireless networks in a manner that favors Chinese firms. The combined effect of these efforts “would push the United States away from its current position in the global economy and move China toward the center,” according to [Jonathan Hillman](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/8RZwCKrGr9FWnvwkTQNEwy?domain=uscc.gov), a fellow at the Center for International and Strategic Studies. China already [earns $180 billion annually](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/middle-east-and-africa/the-closest-look-yet-at-chinese-economic-engagement-in-africa) from its investments in Africa; if its debt diplomacy remains uncontested, it’s likely that even more revenues and jobs will flow to China, instead of the U.S. But this outcome is far from inevitable. The U.S. has plenty of good options, but it needs to dramatically step up its game and support alternatives to Beijing’s aggressive finance initiatives. Perhaps most fundamentally, the U.S. needs to focus on boosting African economic growth. Helping African states to strengthen investment climates and economic governance will help them attract more private sector capital and provide more entry points for U.S. companies. A key component is assisting African efforts to increase transparency, so that all the costs and benefits of project finance options are openly known. Fully staffing U.S. embassies and offering more technical assistance to evaluate loan agreements and investment contracts would be a good start. To date, the Trump Administration’s Africa policy has been adrift, defined more by racial epithets than any cohesive strategy or results. By comparison, China has a clear vision that will yield long-term benefits. In Africa and around the world, much more needs to be done to confront Chinese debt diplomacy. If not, the U.S. will pay a heavy price in its commercial and national security interests. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5381467/china-africa-debt-us-security/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5381467/china-africa-debt-us-security/"},"headline":"China Is Loaning Billions of Dollars to African Countries. 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