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High-profile US official touring Africa to counterbalance Russia, China’s role — daily

According to the daily, Africa finds itself in the middle of a growing diplomatic vortex as the US and its Western allies ramp up efforts to counterbalance the expanding clout of Russia and China in the continent. Turkey, India and the Middle East are also involved

PRETORIA, March 28. /TASS/. The United States has been ramping up its campaign in Africa, and US Vice President Kamala Harris’s tour of the continent is part of Washington’s policy of countering the growing influence of Moscow and Beijing, Kenia’s Nation newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing a number of African experts.

According to the daily, "Africa finds itself in the middle of a growing diplomatic vortex as the US and its Western allies ramp up efforts to counterbalance the expanding clout of" Russia and China in the continent. Turkey, India and the Middle East are also involved.

Aly-Khan Satchu, CEO of the investment consultant Rich Management, believes that the West and US, especially under President Donald Trump, "had neglected Africa outside of the security, counter-terrorism and immigration lens." According to the Kenyan economist, the conflict in Ukraine and "Africa’s evident sympathy for Russia was a wake-up call and the West is trying to push back."

Trips to Africa by US and European officials show the continent’s rising geostrategic profile as world powers acknowledge the need to rekindle alliances in the region. In 2022, US President Joe Biden attended COP27 in Egypt, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. The former’s trip came just days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s African tour, the newspaper writes.