【Wen / Observers Network, Chen Sijia】 "In order to compete with China for influence in Africa, the United States has arranged a series of medical cooperation agreements." According to a report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on December 30, the U.S. government is signing bilateral health agreements with multiple African countries to ensure direct access to key pathogen data and samples after officially exiting the World Health Organization (WHO).

The U.S. government has proposed the "America First Global Health Strategy," having signed bilateral agreements with more than a dozen African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. These countries have agreed to allow the U.S. long-term, direct access to their biometric data and pathogen samples in exchange for U.S. health funding assistance.

These agreements may replace the previously abolished U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) health funding system. Analysts believe that President Trump wants to use critical funding assistance to ensure that African countries prioritize U.S. national security and the interests of American pharmaceutical companies, and "contain" China's influence in Africa.

Kenya was the first country to sign the U.S. health agreement. On December 4, during President William Ruto's visit to Washington, Kenya signed the agreement with the U.S. government. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. has pledged to directly provide $1.6 billion in funding to the Kenyan government over the next five years for projects related to AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, and the eradication of polio.

However, this agreement has faced resistance and legal challenges domestically in Kenya due to concerns about data privacy and the lack of parliamentary oversight regarding the 25-year access rights clause. On December 11, the Nairobi High Court ordered a temporary suspension of the agreement until a full hearing is held at the beginning of next year.

Nigeria signed a framework agreement for a $3 billion joint investment with the U.S., which will receive nearly $2.1 billion in health aid over five years. The agreement will provide $200 million in funding support for more than 900 Christian medical institutions in Nigeria, and U.S. officials claimed that this arrangement is related to reform measures aimed at protecting Nigerian Christians from extremist violence.

In addition, the U.S. has signed health agreements with African countries such as Cameroon, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. According to these agreements, signatory countries must guarantee that they share pathogen genome sequence data and samples with U.S. authorities within five days of discovering any potential outbreak.

July 9, Washington D.C., USA, Trump meets with African leaders, Visual China

The report states that this is the U.S.'s "proactive" strategy, aiming to secure agreements with African countries to share key pathogen data before the WHO discusses establishing a "Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System" (PABS) next month. The U.S. hopes to gain a "competitive advantage" in the pharmaceutical and biosecurity fields through 25-year bilateral commitments with African countries.

Lawrence Gostin, professor at the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, said that the Trump administration favors bilateral measures that can be strictly controlled, similar to the bilateral trade agreements achieved through tariff threats by Trump. He pointed out that the U.S. aims to gain power and leverage by controlling data to provide a competitive edge to American pharmaceutical companies.

Gostin analyzed that the U.S.'s latest move is a response to the WHO's efforts to promote PABS, saying, "The U.S. is undermining the process of this multilateral treaty by reaching agreements on its own."

However, analysts also warned that if African countries do not conduct strict reviews before signing agreements and allow the U.S. access to the most sensitive data, they may become "pawns in a deal." Mobolaji Oladipo Odubanjo, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, said that the core of the medical cooperation agreements proposed by the U.S. is control.

Odubanjo said, "The U.S. has a clear strategic consideration for what it wants, but many signatory countries lack such thinking; they must carefully review these clauses before signing."

He believes that the U.S.'s plan relies on the global penetration of technology and mentioned that artificial intelligence (AI) technology is affecting all areas, "Data is the core element of AI and will affect the development of vaccines, treatments, and even biological weapons and antidotes. This is why all countries want to obtain data."

Analysts say that after the U.S. withdrew from the WHO, China's influence in global health organizations will further increase, becoming the main partner for developing countries around the world. The South China Morning Post pointed out that China is promoting infrastructure cooperation through initiatives like the "Health Silk Road," building hospitals in Africa and constructing the headquarters of the African Center for Disease Control. China also sends thousands of medical workers to Africa every year.

Odubanjo analyzed that China is not as aggressive as the U.S., although the U.S. tries to expand its influence in Africa, China may continue to cooperate with Africa according to its original pace. Gostin, on the other hand, believes that China may strengthen the promotion of the "Belt and Road Initiative" and increase its support for global health affairs.

Sayfuddin Adem, a visiting professor at Doshisha University in Japan and an international affairs expert, said that the agreements reached by the Trump administration with some African countries are an embodiment of its "bilateral transactional diplomacy approach." He pointed out that the Trump administration suspended the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, indicating that its African policy does not care about the health of African people.

Adem believes that the U.S.'s "proactive" approach to signing bilateral health agreements with African countries may undermine the multilateral frameworks established to collectively address global health governance. "This policy shift could create opportunities for China to gradually play a leading role in the global health field, possibly driving a peaceful transfer of influence in this area."

This article is exclusive to Observers Network and may not be reprinted without permission.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7589574071571071529/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.