China means business in Africa and America is fretting.
From building bridges and railways in Africa to increasing bilateral trade and lending, China has gradually overtaken the West in foreign investment in Africa.
On Thursday, American President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Rex Tillerson started his first African visit.
In his first speech on the visit, Tillerson told African countries to consider carefully Chinese loans but also tactically added that America was npt trying to keep Chinese investment away from the continent.
“We are not in any way attempting to keep Chinese dollars from Africa,” Tillerson told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital.
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“(But) it is important that African countries carefully consider the terms of those agreements and not forfeit their sovereignty,” he added.
Tillerson’s visit comes after President Trump reportedly dismissed some Africans as “shithole countries” and Tillerson is now saddled with the task of persuading Africa that his boss did not mean what or how he said it.
He arrived in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, on Wednesday and visited the African Union headquarters on Thursday.
The AU headquarters was fully funded and built by China and is seen as a symbol of Beijing’s thrust for influence and access to the continent’s natural resources.
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