The rivalry between the two leading world Powers on the African continent is derived from the global competition that is unfolding today. With regard to the United States and China, the well-known law of uneven economic and political development in political science is fully manifested at the present time in the fact that, claiming world leadership due to its past achievements, the United States is gradually lagging behind in the pace of development compared to the PRC, while the Chinese economy is increasing momentum and starting not only to to catch up, but also in some indicators to outstrip the pace of development of American industrial and agricultural production. According to the authors of the report "Mapping the Global Future", prepared in December 2004 within the framework of the National Intelligence Council, by 2020 the GNP of the PRC will exceed the total GNP of all economically developed Western countries, excluding the United States. It is expected that by this time the Chinese economy will almost equal the American 1. It is also expected that by 2020, the PRC will surpass Russia's military power and become on par with the United States as a first-class military power2. Newsweek magazine wrote that the twenty-first century will be the "Chinese Century", when the PRC economy (the average rate of development is 9%, i.e. more than the same indicator of any other country in the world) will turn this country into a power unprecedented in the history of mankind in terms of its power and influence.3 The rapidly developing economy of China requires more and more energy resources. According to the forecasts of American experts, by 2020, the United States and China will be almost equal in oil and gas consumption4. In practice, seeking to meet these rapidly growing energy needs will mean pursuing a policy of searching for such resources on a planetary scale and inevitably increasing competition for the ownership of oil and gas fields. At the same time, according ... Read more