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How China's 'stadium diplomacy' is looking to make its mark at the Africa Cup of Nations. South China Morning Post, January 28, 2024.
科特迪瓦圣佩罗体育场举行的非洲杯足球塞
China may have left the Asian Cup early after its men's football team was eliminated in the first round, but is making its presence felt on another continent - at the 34th Africa Cup of Nations.
The recent visit to Ivory Coast by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi coincided with the early stages of the football tournament also known as Afcon, being held in the West African country with three Chinese-built stadiums among the six venues.
These include the 60,000-seat Alassane Ouattara Stadium north of Abidjan, also known as the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe.
It is Ivory Coast's largest stadium and was financed by US$40.6 million from the China International Development Cooperation Agency or China Aid - Beijing's official foreign aid and global development agency.
There is also the US$107.5 million Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro, funded by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
Building stadiums is part of a wider long-term plan by China to boost ties with African countries by funding large-scale infrastructure projects such as diplomatic and military education facilities, presidential palaces, parliament buildings, hospitals and foreign ministry headquarters.
According to China's nationalist tabloid Global Times, the country has built more than 100 stadiums across Africa.
"All of this is part of a long-term policy of 'stadium diplomacy' which China has been deploying across the continent," Simon Chadwick, a professor of sport and geopolitical economy at SKEMA Business School in France, and Chris Toronyi, a PhD candidate and lecturer at Loughborough University in Britain, wrote in news and commentary site The Conversation.
"Linked to the Belt and Road Initiative, which is intended to promote trade and foster interdependence between China and other nations, stadiums have frequently been gifted to African nations [or else paid for using relatively cheap loans]," they wrote in the January 2 article.
Paul Nantulya, a China specialist at the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies in Washington, said this was a useful way to build influence.
"It is a cost-effective way of generating political influence with different elites," Nantulya said.
中国援建的非洲联盟会议中心
However, he noted that most of the buildings, including diplomatic and military facilities, were "always included" as a "by-product" of larger construction and energy projects negotiated between Chinese entities and African governments.
"China is essentially benefiting from those economies of scale," Nantulya said.
Meeting President Alassane Ouattara in the economic capital Abidjan on January 17, Wang said the hosting of Afcon was "not only a grand event for the African people, but also the pride of Ivory Coast".
"The main stadium built with China's assistance for Ivory Coast was delivered on time and with high quality ... and has become a symbol of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Ivory Coast and a symbol of China-Africa friendship," Wang said.
The Alassane Ouattara Stadium hosted Ivory Coast's three group matches, which included a win and two losses.
Meanwhile, Beijing is also trying to expand its soft influence beyond steel and concrete.
In Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, Chinese instructors not only regularly teach at military colleges Beijing has bankrolled and built, but also play a role in developing the curriculum.
In Tunisia, where Beijing has financed and built the Tunis International Diplomatic Academy, Chinese instructors are expected to work with local officials on diplomatic engagements and policy.
"It also comes with training, which I call the software aspect of it and that's where really the influence comes in," Nantulya said.
参考译文：
中国的“体育场外交”是如何在非洲国家足球赛上留下强烈印记的。《南华早报》2024年1月28日。
中国男足在亚洲杯首轮被淘汰后，中国队被迫提前退出亚洲杯，但在另一个大陆——第34届非洲足球国家杯赛上，中国正在让人们感受到其存在。
中国外交部长王毅最近对科特迪瓦的访问恰逢在科特迪瓦举行的非洲足球锦标赛初赛阶段，在这个西非国家举行足球比赛的6个场馆中，3个是中国建造的。
其中包括阿比让北部拥有6万个座位的阿拉萨内·瓦塔拉体育场，也被称为埃比佩奥林匹克体育场。
它是科特迪瓦最大的体育场，由中国国际发展合作署出资4060万美元建成。中国援外署是中国官方的对外援助和全球发展机构。
此外，中国工商银行还出资1.075亿美元在圣佩罗修建了洛朗波库体育场。
帮助非洲国家建设体育场馆是中国一项更广泛的长期计划的一部分，这项计划旨在通过为非洲国家建设外交和军事教育设施、总统府、议会大楼、医院和外交部总部等大型基础设施项目提供资金，以加强与非洲国家的关系。
据《环球时报》报道，中国在非洲各地建造了100多个体育场馆。
法国SKEMA商学院体育和地缘政治经济学教授西蒙·查德威克和英国拉夫堡大学博士候选人兼讲师克里斯·托罗尼在新闻和评论网站the Conversation上写道：“所有这些都是中国在整个非洲大陆部署的‘体育场外交’长期政策的一部分。”他们在1月2日的文章中表示:“与旨在促进贸易和中国与其他国家之间相互依存的‘一带一路’倡议有关，体育场通常是使用无偿援助或低息*款贷**帮助非洲国家建设的。”
华盛顿非洲战略研究中心中国问题专家保罗•南图利亚表示，这是一种建立影响力的有用方式。他说：“这是一种对不同精英产生政治影响的经济有效的方式。”然而，他指出，包括外交和军事设施在内的大多数建筑，“总是作为”中国实体与非洲政府谈判的大型建筑和能源项目的“副产品”被包括在内。“中国总体上会从这些大规模经济项目中受益”。
1月17日，王毅在科特迪瓦经济首都阿比让会见了阿拉萨内·瓦塔拉总统，他说非洲杯的举办“不仅是非洲人民的盛会，也是科特迪瓦的骄傲。中国援建科特迪瓦的主体育场按时、高质量交付……已成为中国和科特迪瓦互利合作的象征和中非友谊的象征。”
阿拉萨内·瓦塔拉体育场主办了科特迪瓦的三场小组赛，科特迪瓦国家队一胜两负。
与此同时，北京也试图将其软影响力扩大到钢铁和混凝土以外。在纳米比亚、坦桑尼亚和津巴布韦，中国教员不仅定期在北京资助和建设的军事院校授课，而且还在课程开发中发挥作用。
在突尼斯，中国资助并建立了突尼斯国际外交学院，中国教师将与当地官员在教授外交事务和政策方面进行合作。
南图利亚说以：“它还伴随着培训，我称之为软件方面，这才是真正的影响所在。”