Commentary
Matthew T. Page, Feyi Fawehinmi
{
"authors": [
"Matthew T. Page"
],
"type": "other",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [
"Violence and Conflict"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "democracy",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "DCG",
"programs": [
"Democracy, Conflict, and Governance"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa",
"East Asia",
"China"
],
"topics": [
"Democracy",
"Economy",
"Trade",
"Security"
]
}
Source: Getty
Other
The Intersection of China’s Commercial Interests and Nigeria’s Conflict Landscape
China’s strategic interests in Nigeria are deeply intertwined with the country’s complicated conflict landscape, and Chinese commercial activities have both constructive and potentially destabilizing effects on Nigeria’s peace and security.
Published on Sep 5, 2018
Source: United States Institute of Peace
Like Washington, Beijing has an abiding strategic interest in promoting stability and security in Nigeria—the largest economy in Africa, a major oil and gas producer, and on track to become the world’s third most populous country by 2050. Yet from the Boko Haram insurgency in its northeast to farmer-herder clashes in its Middle Belt region and militancy in the oil-rich Niger Delta, insecurity undermines Nigeria’s socioeconomic development. This Special Report examines how China’s economic interests intersect with Nigeria’s complicated conflict landscape.
Summary
- The foundation of China’s strategic interest in Nigeria is its robust commercial and investment footprint—especially the thriving bilateral trading relationship. Nigeria’s strategic importance as an export destination, source of oil outside the Middle East, and home to a growing consumer population means that it will continue to receive special attention from Beijing.
- Nigeria remains one of the world’s most challenging business environments, even for risk-tolerant Chinese entrepreneurs. Despite this, many Chinese-owned small businesses and larger companies have prospered and are contributing to Nigeria’s socioeconomic development—and thus the overall security and stability of Africa’s most populous country.
- Nevertheless, practices associated with some Chinese enterprises—especially bribery and involvement in illegal mining, logging, and fishing—are problematic and potentially destabilizing. Although these activities rarely spark violence themselves, they exacerbate homegrown conflict drivers such as resource competition, misgovernance, and policing failures.
- Like Washington, Beijing has an abiding strategic interest in promoting stability and security in Nigeria, one of the world’s most conflict-prone states. By working with Nigerian and Chinese counterparts as well as private-sector actors, U.S. policymakers could help rein in problematic business practices and promote responsible ones while exploring new collaborative opportunities for U.S. investment in Nigeria.
This report was originally published by the U.S. Institute of Peace.
About the Author
Matthew T. Page
Former Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Matthew T. Page was a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- The Two Voting Blocs That Could Transform Nigerian Politics
- Halting the Kleptocratic Capture of Local Government in NigeriaPaper
Matthew T. Page, Abdul H. Wando
Recent Work
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- California’s Direct Democracy and State Policymaking in the MidtermsCommentary
Voters sent mixed messages about funding priorities.
Mark Baldassare, Ian Klaus
- Indonesia’s Marriage of Convenience Ends with Vice Presidential ResignationCommentary
A once-unlikely partnership between President Prabowo and former president Joko Widodo has ended, with important consequences for Southeast Asia’s largest democracy.
Sana Jaffrey
- What’s Behind South Korea’s Rift With Ukraine and Turn Toward Russia?Commentary
There are limits as to how far the shift in South Korea’s foreign policy will go.
James D.J. Brown
- Taking the Pulse: Can Europe Fund Ukraine Without Russian Assets?Commentary
A sizeable funding shortfall looks increasingly likely to hit Ukraine in 2027. Can the Europeans, with their strained budgets and economies, come up with the cash without seizing frozen Russian assets?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
- How Realistic Is a U.S.-Brokered Gas Deal Between Russia and the EU?Commentary
A gas deal would create palpable economic value, but it wouldn’t fundamentally change the position of either Russia or the EU.
Sergey Vakulenko
