US promises fairer treatment for Africa as it seeks to counter Chinese influence

Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal last week promising more investment through the Build Back Better Initiative

US warnings about racking up debts through the Belt and Road Initiative have largely gone unheeded, clearing the way for a raft of Chinese investments

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Published: 12:00pm, 22 Nov 2021Updated: 10:20pm, 22 Nov 2021

The United States has promised to treat Africa more fairly as it seeks to revitalise its relationship with the continent and counter Chinese influence.

On a visit to Nigeria on Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “The United States firmly believes that it’s time to stop treating Africa as a subject of geopolitics – and start treating it as the major geopolitical player it has become.

“Too many times, the countries of Africa have been treated as junior partners – or worse – rather than equal ones. Too often, we ask our partners to help uphold and defend an international system that they don’t feel fully reflects their needs and aspirations.”

Blinken’s three-nation tour, his first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa, is seen by observers as a response to China’s strong presence in Africa, where it has funded mega infrastructure projects but Washington had criticised Beijing for burdening the countries with unsustainable debt.

China is now Africa’s largest trading partner, with the two-way trade reaching its peak in 2019 at over US$200 billion.

Blinken said the US plans to invest in several projects across Africa through its Build Back Better World initiative (B3W), which aims to pump US$40 trillion into developing nations by 2035, as a counterbalance to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.