You are kindly invited to join us for the following lecture by Professor Qingxiu Bu from the School of Law, Politics and Sociology at the University of Sussex, UK, who is currently senior fellow at the UA Ruhr College for Social Sciences and Humanities in Essen. The lecture will be conducted in person.
Qingxiu Bu: Africa in Great Power Competition: China, the USA, and Global Governance
Date: 16 January 2026
Time: 10.00 AM – 1.00 PM CET
Venue: College for Social Sciences and Humanities, Essen
This co-organized lecture examines Africa’s pivotal role in the evolving US-China great power competition, exploring various aspects such as trade, investment, governance, and technological dynamics. Amid growing rivalry, critical questions arise, which the lecture will address:
- How does competition over resources, influence, and technology shape Africa’s strategic position? Can China and the USA establish shared norms and cooperate on pressing global challenges?
- In trade and development, can initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Build Back Better World (B3W) meet Africa’s financing needs, support green and digital transformation, and strengthen African bargaining power?
- In global governance, what are the implications of international norms and the recent US National Security Strategy for African agency? Can multilateral and multi-stakeholder approaches enhance governance in an era of great power competition?
- Finally, does China’s engagement aim to ‘export ideology’ or primarily reinforce domestic legitimacy, and what does this mean for African agency and influence?
The lecture is open to academics from different disciplines, policymakers, and practitioners to foster dialogue about how inclusive and resilient approaches can be advanced, and how forward-looking Africa-China-US engagements can be shaped in a rapidly shifting global landscape.
Program
- Welcome address
Sebastian Bersick, Co-Director of AREA Ruhr - Lecture
Qingxiu Bu, Reader in Global Law at the University of Sussex (UK) & Senior Fellow, College for Social Sciences and Humanities - Discussion
Organizers
The event is jointly organized by Dr. Qingxiu Bu (University of Sussex, UK), who is currently a Senior Fellow at the College for Social Sciences and Humanities, the Institute of Geography at Ruhr University Bochum (Prof. Dr. Thomas Feldhoff), and AREA Ruhr.
At the College for Social Sciences and Humanities Dr. Bu works on a tandem project on Comparative Approaches to Data Governance in the EU, US, and China… His host is AREA Ruhr associate member Prof. Thomas Feldhoff.
Announcement at the College for Social Sciences and Humanities:
https://www.college-uaruhr.de/news-events/events/event-detail/africa-competition-china-usa-global-governance