Beijing has pumped billions into infrastructure projects, though critics say there is often little upside for local economies because Chinese firms and labour build the roads and rails
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday that African countries should weigh Chinese loans carefully, while adding that Washington was not trying to keep Chinese investment away from the continent.
Tillerson, a former Exxon chief executive, is seeking to bolster security alliances on a continent increasingly turning to Beijing for aid and trade.
“We are not in any way attempting to keep Chinese dollars from Africa,” Tillerson told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital during his first diplomatic trip to the continent.
“(But) it is important that African countries carefully consider the terms of those agreements and not forfeit their sovereignty.”
Though the United States is the leading donor of humanitarian aid to Africa, China surpassed the US to become Africa’s largest trading partner in 2009.
Beijing has pumped billions into infrastructure projects, though critics say there is often little upside for local economies because Chinese firms and labour build the roads and rails.
Tillerson took that line on Thursday, saying that Chinese investments “do not bring significant job creation locally” and criticised how Beijing structures loans to African government.
