Africans "
don't have to choose
" in the context of growing rivalries between China and the United States, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday, while assuring that his country could offer them more in terms of democratic rights. Days before China holds a summit with Africa, in Senegal, the US foreign minister said President Joe Biden intends to host a summit with the continent's leaders. In a speech at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, Blinken doesmade no explicit mention of China but claimed to know that Africans "
beware of the strings
" that often accompany foreign engagements.
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"
I want to be clear: the United States does not want to limit your partnerships with other countries,
" he assured. “
We want to further strengthen our partnerships. We don't want you to make a choice. We want to give you choices
”. "
Our approach will be sustainable, transparent, and driven by values,
" added the American diplomat. Infrastructure deals with other nations that can be "
opaque, coercive, and entangle countries in unimaginable debt, destroy the environment and do not always benefit residents,
" he said. “
We will do things differently,
” he promised. The diplomat acknowledged the mistrust of many African countries. "
Too many times, African countries have been treated as junior partners - or worse - rather than equal partners
, ”said Blinken.
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“
And we appreciate the fact that centuries of colonialism, slavery and exploitation have left painful legacies that endure.
But according to him, the Biden administration "
firmly believes that it is time to stop treating Africa as a subject of geopolitics - and to start treating it as the major geopolitical actor that it has become.
The diplomat, whose official visit to Africa began in Kenya and is due to end in Senegal, pledged cooperation in the fight against climate change and Covid-19.
Decline of democracy
Faced with the priorities of the former Trump administration, President Biden called for a new engagement with Africa but also with democracy. The president will hold a virtual summit of democracies in December to show solidarity in the face of the rise of authoritarian leaders around the world. Blinken acknowledged that the United States was not a perfect model for democracy, as demonstrated by the Jan.6 attack by supporters of President Donald Trump on the Capitol. “
The decline in democracy is not just an African problem - it is a global problem. My own country is fighting the threats to our democracy. And the solutions to these threats will come as much from Africa as from anywhere else.
""
We need to show how democracies can meet the expectations of citizens, quickly and effectively,
”he added.
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For the Biden administration, China is one of the biggest challenges facing the United States in the 21st century, given its rapid growth and growing international presence. Also present in Abuja, US State Department spokesman Ned Price accused Beijing of "
directly
threatening
regional peace and stability
" in Asia, where the American ally, the Philippines, accused China the day before. for firing water cannon at some of its ships in the hotly contested South China Sea. In recent years, China has invested heavily on the African continent, particularly in infrastructure and in the exploitation of its raw materials (gold and wood in particular).
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On Thursday, speaking alongside Blinken, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama dismissed concerns about China, saying the Asian power offered a "
great opportunity
" for a country in need of infrastructure.
“
We would have gone with anyone else providing something at a competitive rate for us,
” he said.