Postcolonial images of the “other” in French and Chinese foreign policy rhetoric in Africa

The research relevance is determined by the influence of the rhetoric of leading global actors on the formation of postcolonial stereotypes in approaches to interaction with African countries. The study aimed to identify common features in the construction of the image of Africa as “other” in the rhetorical strategies of France and China, as well as to analyse their impact on political and economic strategies for cooperation with African states. Content analysis, comparative analysis and a historical and cultural approach were used, which enabled a systematic and comprehensive study of the characteristic features of foreign policy strategies towards Africa. The study showed that despite different rhetorical strategies, France and China maintain paternalistic views of Africa, reproducing stereotypes about the continent as “immature” or “underdeveloped”, requiring external management and supervision. France, relying on its historical responsibility, continues to influence political processes in Africa through security and diplomatic interventions, using the concept of “la Françafrique” (“French Africa”) as a basis for continuing its presence in the region. China, on the other hand, is implementing a “win-win cooperation” strategy, emphasising economic partnership, but in fact maintaining the economic dependence of African countries through its investments and infrastructure projects. Most of the benefits from these projects go to China, since Chinese companies mostly control the infrastructure, tech processes, and labour resources, while African countries often see limited economic benefits from the cooperation. The results emphasised that both discourses, although formally rejecting the colonial legacy, continue to treat Africa as an object of external influence in practice. This confirmed the existence of post-colonial structures in contemporary international relations. The practical significance of the study is determined by the possibility of using its results in the activities of state bodies of African countries, international organisations and analytical centres to analyse and refine approaches to cooperation with leading global actors, in particular France and China, to reduce asymmetry in interaction and limit post-colonial influences