The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum recently opened, attracting numerous countries for exchange and cooperation.
Surprisingly, Guinea-Bissau's representative made a public appeal to China and Russia at the forum with a rather perplexing request.
Would China and Russia respond to this request?
According to a report by Russia's Sputnik News Agency on June 5, Guinea-Bissau's Minister of Natural Resources, Malam Sambú, stated in an interview that Guinea-Bissau, Russia, and China should establish a strategic cooperative relationship.
Sambú's reasoning seems quite solid. He first referenced history, pointing out the aid China and Russia have provided to Africa.
He suggested that if a strategic partnership could be achieved, China and Russia might genuinely help Guinea-Bissau develop.
Additionally, he expressed goodwill towards China and Russia, emphasizing that while Guinea-Bissau would not allow other countries to exploit its mineral resources, it would encourage China and Russia to set up factories in Guinea-Bissau.
If Guinea-Bissau were not one of the world's "least developed countries" as recognized by the United Nations, Sambú's proposal might warrant some consideration.
In fact, there are several countries with "Guinea" in their names, and Guinea-Bissau is the least developed among them.
Its GDP in 2022 was only $1.639 billion, which wouldn't even rank among the top 100 counties in China.
The only notable resource this country has is cashews, where it ranks sixth in the world for production, along with some relatively abundant mineral deposits.
Such a country proposing a strategic partnership with China and Russia indeed seems puzzling.
It's hard to imagine what strategic cooperation could exist between China, Russia, and Guinea-Bissau.
From a natural resources perspective, Guinea-Bissau's resources are not irreplaceable. From a political standpoint, there are many African countries, and China and Russia have no pressing need to focus heavily on the poorest country in the world.
China and Russia have numerous strategic partners, but not to the extent that any country can participate.
Perhaps Guinea-Bissau is just looking for a benefactor.
After all, this country has been plagued by continuous internal strife and long-standing underdeveloped infrastructure.
Even if the mineral deposits were given freely to China and Russia, they would still need to build factories, train personnel, and possibly even construct railways and roads to transport the minerals, perhaps even a power plant.
A series of supporting projects would be necessary before mineral extraction could begin.
Moreover, Guinea-Bissau does not want other countries to exploit their minerals.
Therefore, despite China and Russia having long-term investments in Africa, they have not heavily invested in Guinea-Bissau.
However, China and Russia are still considerate towards Guinea-Bissau.
In late May this year, China sent the 20th Chinese medical team to Guinea-Bissau for a mission cycle of about 18 months.
Russia also actively invited Guinea-Bissau to this St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Perhaps once the situation in Africa stabilizes, China and Russia will increase their investments in Guinea-Bissau, but it certainly won't be the strategic partnership that Guinea-Bissau envisions right now.
Ultimately, Guinea-Bissau needs to improve its own national strength first.
Nonetheless, this situation reflects the growing influence of China and Russia in Africa.
Why doesn't Guinea-Bissau seek investment from Western countries led by the United States?
On one hand, these countries have a notorious reputation in Africa, closely associated with exploitation and colonization.
On the other hand, African countries like Guinea-Bissau require systematic aid, especially in infrastructure construction, an area where Western countries are less competitive compared to China and Russia.
To be realistic, China and Russia's presence in Africa is becoming increasingly significant, and U.S. obstructions have little impact.
African countries like Guinea-Bissau extending olive branches to China and Russia will likely become more common in the future.
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