Can China and the U.S. Find Common Ground With Africa?
How 3-Way Cooperation Might Stem Violent Extremism, Maritime Attacks and Famine
Read the Event CoverageLeaders from Beijing, Washington and African nations have worked together on major initiatives—combating Ebola and supporting peace negotiations in South Sudan, for example. But concerns over U.S.-China competition have limited three-way cooperation on the continent. The U.S. Institute of Peace and the Carter Center hosted a daylong conference on April 11 examining concrete areas where the United States, China and Africa might work together to address some of the continent’s most pressing security challenges.
For three years, USIP and the Carter Center, in coordination with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, have supported the “Africa-China-U.S. Consultation for Peace,” to explore shared issues and interests and find ways all three sides might benefit from joint efforts.
The senior leaders of the dialogue discussed their experiences, challenges and progress, and joined other experts and officials to consider concrete actions all three parties could take to reduce violent conflict in Africa. Sessions focused on promoting maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and on countering violent extremism and addressing the humanitarian crisis in northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin. Follow the conversation on Twitter with #AfricaChinaUS.
Updated Agenda
9:00am-9:30am | Welcome Remarks
Nancy Lindborg, President, U.S. Institute of Peace
Jordan Ryan, Vice President of Peace Programs, The Carter Center
9:30am-10:45am | Panel 1: Developing China-U.S. Cooperation in – and With – Africa
Ambassador Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel
Ambassador Jianhua Zhong, former Special Representative for African Affairs, People’s Republic of China
Ambassador Princeton Lyman, Senior Advisor to the President, U.S. Institute of Peace
Moderator: Ambassador David Shinn, Adjunct Professor, George Washington University
10:45am-11:00am | Break
11:00am-12:30pm | Panel 2: Cooperating on Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea
Ambassador Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel
Assis Malaquias, Professor, Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Michael Bittrick, Deputy Director, Office of Security Affairs, U.S. Department of State
John Goodman, Associate Director, Conflict Resolution Program, The Carter Center
Yawei Liu, Director, China Program, The Carter Center
Moderator: Jennifer Staats, Director, China Program, United States Institute of Peace
12:30pm-1:45pm | Keynote Lecture: “Building Habits of Cooperation”
Kurt Campbell, Chairman and CEO of the Asia Group and former Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
1:45pm-3:00pm | Panel 3: Cooperating to Counter Violent Extremism in the Lake Chad Basin and Beyond
Ambassador Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel
Mohammed Aminu Yakubu, Defense Attaché, Embassy of Nigeria
Conor Godfrey, Team Lead, Lake Chad Basin, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Department of State
Oge Onubogu, Senior Program Officer, Africa Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace
Moderator: Jordan Ryan, Vice President of Peace Programs, The Carter Center
3:00pm-3:30pm | Conclusions: Building Win-Win-Win Cooperation for the Future
Ambassador Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel
Ambassador Jianhua Zhong, former Special Representative for African Affairs, People’s Republic of China
Ambassador Princeton Lyman, Senior Advisor to the President, U.S. Institute of Peace
