A cooperative, strategic partnership—that’s what China wants to establish with an ally in Africa: the country of Gabon.
But is the communist regime taking aim at Gabon’s uranium resources?
On Wednesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with the Gabonese President in Beijing, seeking to further deepen cooperation.
During the meeting, Xi called for upgrading bilateral ties between the two countries. China is aiming to take things one step further from their current partnership.
Diplomatic relations between them date back to 1960.
In 2022, trade between China and Gabon rose to 4.55 billion dollars—an over 50 percent increase.
Beijing is also asking Gabon to take part in its Belt and Road Initiative—China’s multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure outreach project. It’s known to act as a tool for the Communist regime to spread its influence and gain control overseas.
It’s worth noting that Gabon is home to a rich deposit of uranium, a radioactive element used to fuel nuclear power.
China is currently aiming to become self-sufficient with its supply of nuclear fuel.
But to make ends meet, the nation still has to obtain one-third of its uranium from foreign suppliers.
Last year, a pentagon report revealed that Beijing is boosting its nuclear expansion—all in an effort to counter Washington.