Chinese bugs are a red flag for Africa

There is nothing new about governments spying on each other. They do it all the time. So African officials should not be surprised that Chinese state contractors hard-wired the AU headquarters in Ethiopia to Beijing. They were given the opportunity by the pan-African body not only to construct the building but to provide everything inside, from phones and voting technology to furniture, and to maintain these on contracts paid by Beijing.

What is more surprising is that the AU was so willing to invite Chinese ears in. The new building, which dominates the skyline of Addis Ababa, was financed by Beijing to the tune of $200m and opened at a 2012 summit by then Chinese president Hu Jintao. At the time, the EU was by far the biggest donor to AU operations including peacekeeping. But Europe was upstaged at an event that signalled the shift taking place as African countries shook off jaded and cautious former colonial powers and embraced new commercial suitors from among the emerging powers.

Allegations about the colossal data breach at the AU headquarters provide a cautionary tale about the dangers of developing fresh dependencies. They are denied by Beijing, but point nevertheless to the imbalances developing between the continent and its most important trading partner, and show the need for a more proactive approach by African governments to manage this.

They also raise fresh questions for the rest of the world about how to handle this rising superpower, potentially providing fresh ammunition to those in Washington who, for security reasons, want to keep Chinese technology companies out.

No doubt China’s burgeoning engagement in Africa has brought great benefits. However, the hidden price may be high. African governments should treat China’s avowed doctrine of noninterference with scepticism.

Above all, they need to develop strategies to do business with Beijing not as supplicants, but on their own terms. London, January 30