Beijing ups diplomatic pressure on Africa as the US pulls back

BEIJING — Chinese diplomats threatened to cancel a summit and called top officials in two African countries to pressure lawmakers to quit an international parliamentary group critical of China, officials from the group told The Associated Press.

It's an example of how far China will go to influence politicians overseas, and how that pressure can succeed behind closed doors.

In the past year, lawmakers from Malawi and Gambia withdrew from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from 38 countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing, according to letters, messages and voice recordings obtained by The Associated Press.

Founded in 2020, the group has coordinated sanctions on China over rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong and rallied support for Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island Beijing claims as its territory.

African politicians and experts say it's an escalation of Chinese diplomatic pressure in Africa, where Beijing's influence is growing. Beijing has built deep ties with African leaders by developing mines and building infrastructure through state-owned construction companies, often funded by loans from state-owned banks.

The pressure is also part of Beijing's longstanding effort to influence groups and lawmakers across the world, including in New York state, where a former governor's aide faces charges for acting as an agent for the Chinese government.

'Very shocking news'

''We have very shocking news … it's a problem right now,'' Ceesay said in the recording, which IPAC provided to AP. ''The president is not happy with us at all.''

Later the same month, Ceesay and fellow lawmaker Amadou Camara informed the alliance they were withdrawing. Ceesay told IPAC in a written message that his decision was ''not influenced by the Chinese embassy,'' a position Ceesay reiterated when contacted by AP.

Gambia's information minister said he was unaware of any attempt by China to influence his country's politicians.

''They decided on their own behalf to opt out of IPAC after realizing it goes against the government's bilateral (relationship) with China,'' said the minister, Ismaila Ceesay, who is not related to Abdoulie Ceesay.

The Chinese government has targeted lawmakers over the alliance before. Beijing has sanctioned some members and last year, lawmakers from at least six countries were pressured by Chinese diplomats not to attend the group's summit in Taiwan. Kenyan lawmakers cancelled their plans to attend but stayed in the alliance. The group was also targeted by Chinese state-sponsored hackers in 2021, according to a U.S. indictment.

In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused IPAC of ''smearing China" and said that ''China has never engaged in coercive diplomacy."

But a Malawian lawmaker, Ephraim Abel Kayembe, told an IPAC staffer he had been contacted by the speaker of the Malawian National Assembly shortly after he and another lawmaker joined the group at last year's Taiwan summit, according to the staffer. The staffer declined to be named for fear of damage to their relations with other politicians.

The speaker told Kayembe the Chinese government had threatened to cancel the president's upcoming visit to Beijing for a regional summit and meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to IPAC head de Pulford, programs director Tom Fraser and the person who spoke directly to Kayembe.

Less than two weeks after the summit, the two Malawian lawmakers said they were withdrawing. Kayembe said in a letter to IPAC that he had been tricked into joining.

''I want to extend my sincere apology to the People's Republic of China,'' Kayembe wrote in the Aug. 7 letter.

Malawi's government did not respond to a request for comment.

Shifting alliances

For decades, Beijing has cultivated ties with African governments, seeking diplomatic partners and access to natural resources.

Many African leaders have welcomed Beijing's presence since it brings much-needed capital and construction expertise that can contribute to economic growth and development. Critics say China strikes secretive, sometimes corrupt deals with African leaders that mainly benefit Chinese companies and workers brought in to build mines, bridges and railways.

''China has been investing and being present in African countries when many countries were not willing to come,'' said Christian-Geraud Neema, Africa editor of the China Global South Project, an independent research group.

Moves like these mirror efforts China has made against governments elsewhere in the past. Beijing blocked exports from Lithuania, for example, after the northern European country allowed Taiwan to open a trade office.

But experts say the pressure against the IPAC members is unusual. Lina Benabdallah, a professor at Wake Forest University who studies China's relations with Africa, said she has never heard of China using direct coercion against African parliamentarians before.

''This is very new to me,'' Benabdallah said.

Zimbabwe lawmaker and IPAC member Daniel Molokele said he expects to see more coercive behavior from Beijing, especially as the Trump administration pulls back from Africa.

''I expect China to benefit,'' Molokele said. ''It will definitely use this opportunity to grow its influence in Africa.''