Digital Battleground: Ethiopia, China, and the Future of U.S. Influence in Africa

Annalise Pereira

July 16, 2025

 

Executive Summary

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its digital extension, the Digital Silk Road (DSR), have greatly expanded Beijing’s influence in Africa through infrastructure investment, technology exports, and strategic partnerships. Ethiopia, a key BRI and DSR partner, has emerged as a key partner for Chinese engagement, making it both a gateway to East Africa and providing a foundation for digital authoritarianism. While these initiatives have brought investment and development, they also pose risks to democratic governance, data sovereignty, and U.S. strategic interests. In contrast, the United States has approached Ethiopia primarily through humanitarian aid, missing opportunities for long-term partnership.

Implications for policy include:

• The need for a U.S.-led digital development investment plan focused on building secure data centers, expanding digital infrastructure, and supporting cloud services in Ethiopia
• Reframing U.S.-Ethiopia relations from aid dependency to strategic partnership, investing in mutually beneficial development that promotes economic resilience, digital sovereignty, and democratic norms.
• Launch targeted public diplomacy campaign to expose risks of Chinese digital coercion, assist with contract transparency

 

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