A strategy for strengthening China’s influence in African countries in the context of contemporary challenges and contradictions

<jats:p>This study analyzes the China’s strategy for strengthening its influence in Africa amidst contemporary geopolitical challenges and intensifying global competition for resources and markets. The relevance of this study stems from Africa’s rapid transformation into a center of global politics and economics, as well as the need for understanding of Beijing’s new approaches to building long-term partnerships with African countries. The aim of this study is to identify key instruments and mechanisms of Chinese expansion in Africa, as well as to assess the evolution of China’s strategy, and to outline the possibilities for adapting this experience to the foreign economic practice of the Russian Federation. The research methodology is based on a systemic and comparative analysis of official documents and statistical data, as well as scientific publications by Chinese and Russian researchers. The results of the study demonstrate that China is implementing a multi-vector strategy based on a symbiosis of investment, infrastructure projects, and soft power. The study reveals a shift in Chinese business perception of cooperation with African companies as a promising sales market and a platform for localizing high-tech production. The discussion emphasizes that China’s declarations of non-interference in the affairs of African states conceal a profound systemic strategy that creates asymmetric interdependence. By implementing this policy, China is asserting its role not simply as an investor, but as the “architect” of the continent’s key infrastructure and institutional systems. The conclusion summarizes that the study’s uniqueness lies in its practical focus, as an analysis of Chinese experience allows us to identify effective investment and partnership models adapted to the local characteristics of Africa, which can be implemented in Russia’s strategy for expanding its presence on the continent, which is particularly relevant for the development of cooperation in the agri-food sector.</jats:p>