US to host Africa summit amid concern over China's influence

US President Barack Obama will invite 47 leaders to a landmark US-Africa summit in August, countering Chinese inroads on the continent with offers of wider US trade, development and security ties.

Obama will send out invitations to all African nations that are currently in good standing with the United States or are not suspended from the African Union - meaning there will be no place for states like Egypt or Zimbabwe. Obama will hold the talks on August 5 and 6, seeking to cement progress from his trip to Africa last year.

A White House statement said the trip would "advance the administration's focus on trade and investment in Africa, and highlight America's commitment to Africa's security, its democratic development, and its people".

The idea for the summit, which takes place with Washington increasingly aware of China's attempt to enhance its own diplomatic profile in Africa, was first announced by Obama in a speech in Cape Town in June.

Obama cautioned last year against the idea that a new proxy cold war with China could play out in Africa.

"This is not a zero-sum game. This is not the cold war. You've got one global market, and if countries that are now entering into middle-income status see Africa as a big opportunity for them, that can potentially help Africa," the president told reporters during a visit to the continent.