Foreign policy will continue to emphasise the need for Nigeria to play an influential role in Africa. Politics will become more inward-looking during the election period in 2011, but for the remainder of the forecast period whoever is the president will continue the tradition of projecting Africa's most populous nation as a leading power on the continent, and one deserving to represent the region in major international bodies. Nigeria will continue to play a prominent role in regional peacekeeping missions. The country is also a key supplier of oil to the US, and the US administration is keen to improve relations in the face of growing Russian and Asian interest in the country's natural resources. Nigeria's relations with Western oil companies may undergo some changes as China increases its competitive bids for Nigerian hydrocarbons resources and as the government attempts to make changes to oil-sector legislation that could increase taxes and the requirement for local inputs and labour. However, the current oil majors will remain the primary producers in the medium term.