COOPERATION | China invests in São Tomé and Príncipe

Islet in São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe will be able to become the benchmark marine platform in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea, with Chinese investment in the archipelago’s deep-water port, according to researcher Gustavo Placido dos Santos.
In the commentary “São Tomé and Príncipe: A central piece of Beijing’s chessboard” for the Portuguese Institute for International and Security Affairs (IPRIS), the researcher argues that China and the United States are both acutely aware of the strategic importance of the archipelago for trade and security in Africa.
The deep-water port, an investment of about USD800 million, “has the potential to make São Tomé and Príncipe a transshipment port for large ships, allowing the small archipelago to serve the region’s economies” when “there is not yet a natural plat-
form in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea,” said Plácido dos Santos.
In favor of its ability to take on this role, São Tomé has its geographical location, low frequency of pirate attacks and political stability and the authorities are keen to diversify sources of revenue at a time when cocoa and coffee represent more than 80 percent of total exports, with oil potential still unclear.
The prime minister of São Tomé, Patrice Trovoada, aims to refocus the country’s economy on trade, following the model of Dubai as a “platform offering services to neighboring countries.”
“This is a vital region for trade and global energy security and composed of countries with high levels of economic growth. The archipelago’s geographical location allows it to be an advanced monitoring and maritime safety surveillance station in the heart of the Gulf of Guinea,” said Plácido dos Santos.
According to the researcher, the project in São Tomé is also relevant in the light of China’s “Silk Road economic belt” and “Maritime Silk Route,” strategies, which will benefit several ongoing projects in Africa.
China has actively contributed to the development of ports in the region and concluded the railway line linking the Atlantic coast of Angola (Lobito) to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, which will later connect to the Angola-Zambia and Tanzania-Zambia lines, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
“São Tomé and Príncipe positions itself in this context as an important transit point for maritime trade between the Atlantic, Africa and the Indian Ocean,” said the IPRIS researcher.
The transcontinental link, he argued, makes it possible to direct natural resource flows obtained in Africa to interconnection points, where they will be sent directly to China.
In addition to the resources, the Chinese interest in the Gulf of Guinea is justified to ensure the security and stability of maritime trade routes in a region that has deepened and expanded its economic and political presence.
“A presence in São Tomé and Príncipe allows Beijing to have greater capacity to monitor and control a maritime trade route with high and growing potential as well as monitoring the progress its increasing presence in the South Atlantic,” said Plácido dos Santos.
“São Tomé and Príncipe is presented in this context as a piece of immense strategic value in a changing global chess game,” he said.  MDT/Macauhub