German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to China Feb. 24-26 opens the potential of cooperation with China in third-country projects, as explicitly emphasized by the Chinese leaders. Joint ventures in Africa make a lot of sense, particularly if geopolitical arguments against China are pushed aside to make room for real cooperation to the mutual benefit of all parties. In Africa, two big projects came onto the agenda of German policy: the Lobito Corridor and the INGA hydro complex.
During his visit to Angola early last November, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on German industry to become involved in projects related to the development of the “Lobito Corridor.” The corridor, as well as the INGA hydro dam project, were also on the agenda of talks between the governments of Germany and Democratic Republic of the Congo at the EU-AU summit in Luanda, Nov. 26, 2025.
