Wow that's interesting, have been watching global EPC business news but rarely come across any Turkish company. Anyway thanks for updating bro!
The sales figures for the world’s largest contractors shows growth and the continued dominance of Chinese firms
www.international-construction.com
1. China State Construction & Engineering (China)
2. China Railway Group (China)
3. China Railway Construction Corporation (China)
4. China Communications Construction (China)
5. Vinci (France)
6. Metallurgical Corporation of China (China)
7. ACS (Spain)
8. Bouygues’ Construction Division (France)
9. Shanghai Construction Group (China)
10. Hochtief (Germany)
Majority of the listed biggest construction companies are local hence they have no reason to go overseas but it is these pushed out from the local arena that compete on the International but it doesn't mean they are lesser than the local based companies.
Africa is where most competition takes places because it is the most less developed continent aside from india ofcourse which surprisingly lacks behind Africa no pun intended there.
But yeah China's only competitor in AFRICA is Turkey whereas the US or any other western element is not present it is only China and Turkey going at it everyone else is pushed out.. It is entirely business oriented rivalry
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Turkey jockeys with China for influence in Africa
Much has been written in recent years on China's growing influence in Africa. But it has a challenger in Turkey, which, like China, is looking to expand its strategic and economic reach.
Turkish construction companies have recently bested Chinese rivals on big infrastructure projects, winning orders in Ethiopia and Rwanda. And Ankara has nearly as many embassies on the continent as Beijing.
Turkey, sitting astride Europe and Asia,
will play an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative, which China hopes will forge stronger economic links between the two continents. Turkey has good relations with the emerging superpower, but that has not stopped it from competing vigorously with China in Africa.
Yapi Merkezi, a big Turkish construction company, has been building a 400km railway line in the Horn of Africa nation of Ethiopia since January 2015. The project "will change people's lives and contribute greatly to the fast-track development of Ethiopia," said Mustafa Ay, Yapi's deputy project manager in mid-February, as he stood in front of a bridge in the northern city of Kombolcha.
From railways to diplomacy, Ankara looks to extend its geostrategic reach
asia.nikkei.com
Strategic Implications of Sino-Turkish Rivalry in Africa
International Developments
Sun، 10 Oct ، 2021
The strategic importance of Africa places it at the crossroads of international competition over assets, economic gain, and influence. Among the competitors, China and Turkey are significant actors, and their competition in Africa has implications that extend to the Arab world. The Sino-Turkish competition in Africa stems from each country’s efforts to expand its economic and strategic influence, and takes place on many levels, including the following:
- Access to natural resources: Africa’s importance stems from its position as the world’s reservoir of strategic natural resources and raw materials that are in high demand, in light of the intense competition between major consuming countries for these resources. This competition is intensified by increasing global demand, while global reserves and production rates are decreasing in other parts of the world.
Turkey and China are both seeking to gain a large share of these resources. China is particularly interested in the acquisition of oil, gas, uranium, gold, and diamonds. China receives 9% of sub-Saharan Africa’s oil, while 30% goes to Europe. Energy imports are also of essential importance to Turkey, amounting to more than 41.1 billion dollars in 2019. Turkey is the second largest importer of gas after China, importing more than 95% of its needs. Therefore, it is looking to Africa to secure this strategic need for energy materials through the investments of Turkish oil companies.
- Increasing economic presence: Both Turkey and China wish to gain access to the vast African market, to increase the volume of their trade and investments in the continent. Turkish companies undertook 1,500 projects worth nearly USD 70 billion in Africa as of the end of 2019. Turkey also signed trade and economic cooperation agreements with more than 49 African countries, agreements to stimulate and protect joint investments with 28 countries, and agreements to avoid double taxation with 12 African countries.
China, on the other hand, is the largest investor in Africa, according to World Bank reports. Chinese investments in the continent amount to nearly USD 15 billion in various sectors, and it also started building subsidiary factories on African soil with the aim of conquering African markets and benefiting from cheap African labor.
The Maghreb region is currently the focus of Sino-Turkish competition, with the volume of Turkish investments in the region rising to USD 25.3 billion in 2020. Turkey also signed a partnership agreement with Tunisia, a trade agreement with Morocco, and a friendship agreement with Algeria, which helped boost Turkish products in the region.
China, on its part, has strengthened its economic and soft power in Africa through the Belt and Road initiative, establishing comprehensive strategic partnerships with Algeria and Egypt, and a strategic partnership with Morocco. These partnerships include dozens of memoranda of understanding and promises of major infrastructure and development projects. It is also worth noting that China signed memoranda of understanding on the “Belt and Road” initiative with Libya and Tunisia, but has not established a formal partnership with either country.
In terms of the size and scope of projects in Africa, Turkey is no match for China. According to the ranking of the top 250 international contractors in the Engineering News Registry based on revenues generated abroad, Turkish contractors ranked third with 40 companies in 2020, while China ranked first with 78 companies. Although the falling value of the lira, and economic contraction which accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, represent obstacles to further Turkish expansion, Turkey currently seeks to ally with Japan to undermine Chinese influence in Africa. Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) opened a regional office in Istanbul in 2020 as part of these efforts, and Turkish company Çalik Enerji, in which Japanese trading company Mitsubishi Corporation has a stake, recently completed the expansion of a small hydropower plant in the southeastern African Republic of Malawi with funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
- Strategic advantage: Turkey and China’s competition is also apparent in their pursuit to position themselves in areas of strategic importance on the continent. China concluded a deal with the Djibouti to buy a share of the strategic Port of Djibouti. The port is strategically located overlooking the Indian Ocean and the southern entrance to the Red Sea, where the Bab al-Mandab strait is an important corridor for global trade, and for any military movements coming from Europe or the United States towards the Arabian Gulf and East Africa.
Turkey illustrated the strategic importance of Africa by stating in its maritime strategy, issued in 2014, that the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden will act as the main link between Turkey, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. Accordingly, Turkey signed an agreement with Djibouti in 2017 stipulating the establishment of a 12-million-square-meter free trade zone. Turkey also has an agreement with Sudan to develop and manage the island of Suakin overlooking the Red Sea, giving Turkey an important strategic advantage that will enable it to expand its presence within Africa.
- Political goals: Turkey and China’s efforts to gain further footing in Africa are partially driven by political motives. Turkey’s goal of regional expansion across the continent is part and parcel of its aim to revive neo-Ottomanism, especially in light of its failures on the European front and failure to join the European Union. Moreover, it seeks to strengthen its position in the regional equation in the Middle East through expanding its presence and influence in Africa . China’s desire to establish a multipolar international system drives it to enhance its relations with developing countries, particularly in Africa, in order to present itself as their leader on the international stage. China also relies on the big voting bloc of African countries to change a number of agreements with the United States, especially those related to intellectual property. Furthermore, China seeks to isolate Taiwan, and prevent India from obtaining a permanent seat on the Security Council.
Impact on the Arab world
Sino-Turkish competition in Africa can have an impact on the Arab region in a number of ways, including:
- Increasing Turkish influence on Arab issues: Ankara could strive to improve its relations with the United States and NATO, which has recently deteriorated, by helping to undermine Chinese influence in Africa, which the US in particular finds troubling. With improved relations, Turkey may then draw on US support to bolster its own position on certain Arab issues, especially in the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Libya.
Strategic Implications of Sino-Turkish Rivalry in Africa - The Arab Wall
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