A summit of African leaders is taking place this week in Washington, D.C., where the White House on Monday announced a $55-billion commitment to Africa over the next three years across a range of sectors.
President Biden is hosting nearly 50 African leaders this week in an effort to show “renewed commitment” to a continent routinely neglected by the West, one that has been battered by coups and wars, poverty and the pandemic, but that also has seen vast Chinese investment in numerous nations.
In addition, Biden is expected to urge that the African Union, which represents 55 African states, be given a seat in the Group of 20, an influential collection of the strongest economies in the world. South Africa is the only member from the continent. African leaders are arriving in the U.S. capital bringing with them a message of partnership over paternalism, an old theme but one many say continues to undermine economic development.
Witney Schneidman, a deputy assistant secretary of State for African Affairs during the Clinton administration, said focusing on China would distract from the more important topic of U.S. private sector investment. Unlike the U.S. and other Western nations, the Chinese don’t make demands over human rights or environmental concerns, and have managed to gain vast influence and access to markets, intelligence and energy.
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