Quartz: China’s Growing Africa Footprint

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended a five-nation diplomatic tour of Africa one day early, as African and US officials compare China’s growing trade and investment with the US security role. The US has one permanent base in Djibouti. “But last year, China opened its first overseas naval base there too, provided loans to the country, and built a railway connecting its seas to the Ethiopian hinterland to improve regional trade,” writes Abdi Latif Dahir for Quartz. “China has eclipsed the US in Africa in many ways: providing loans, financing much-needed infrastructure, competing for resources like oil and minerals, increasing its trade share, and spreading its ideological influence.” The article describes US concerns over the Djibouti government cancelling a port contract with DP World, replacing the Dubai-based company with a Singapore-based company with ties to China. The US government wonders if Djibouti could do the same with the US base, and Tillerson has advised African nations to protect their sovereignty and avoid excessive debt in making agreements with other nations. – YaleGlobal