International
US cautions Africa over China relations
African countries have been sternly warned by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson not to forfeit their sovereignty when accepting loans from China.
Tillerson made the comments after a meeting with African Union (AU) Commission Chairman Moussa Faki, of Chad at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“We are not in any way attempting to keep Chinese dollars from Africa,” Tillerson told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital. “It is important that African countries carefully consider the terms of those agreements and not forfeit their sovereignty.”
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Tillerson’s visit to Africa also seek to smooth relations after U.S. President Trump reportedly dismissed some African nations as “shithole countries” in January.
He will also seek to bolster bolster security alliances with a continent increasingly turning to Beijing for aid and trade.
The United States is the leading aid donor to Africa but China surpassed it as a trade partner in 2009 with Beijing pumping billions into infrastructure projects, though critics say the use of Chinese firms and labour undermines their value.
According to Tillerson, Chinese investments “do not bring significant job creation locally” and criticised how Beijing structures loans to African government.
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