Is the West Losing Africa to China?
From The David McWilliams Podcast by David McWilliams & John Davis
March 26, 2026 · 45 min · Season 2026 · Episode 25
About this episode
The episode discusses the shifting power dynamics in Africa, particularly the influence of China over the West, through the lens of South Africa's current socio-economic challenges.
South Africa is one of the places where the 21st century is being made in real time. Against the backdrop of war in the Middle East, we ask what rising energy prices mean for countries already struggling with poverty, unemployment and fragile infrastructure. If you want to see the decline of American influence and the rise of Chinese power, Southern Africa is where it’s happening. Along the way, we get a street-level feel for modern South Africa, from the fading grandeur of central Joburg to the sprawling reality of Soweto, where apartheid’s legacy still shapes daily life, but where democracy has also held in ways many once thought impossible. We talk about inequality, migration, religion, corruption, black economic empowerment, and the strange new elite of “slay queens,” all as windows into how power and money now move through South African society. With exploding population growth, vast mineral wealth, and huge renewable energy potential, the continent is becoming central to the global economy. China understands that. The West, increasingly, does not. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: David McWilliams, John Davis
Topics covered
- China's influence in Africa
- American decline
- South African society
- energy prices
- inequality
- democracy
- economic empowerment
Keywords
- Africa
- China
- South Africa
- energy prices
- inequality
- democracy
- migration
- corruption
- economic empowerment
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: China, America
Places: South Africa, Joburg, Soweto, Southern Africa, Africa
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