Unveiling new Africa strategy, U.S. blasts ‘predatory’ practices of China, Russia

WASHINGTON – The White House on Thursday accused China and Russia of using “predatory” practices to exploit Africa, a part of the world that President Donald Trump has largely ignored and frequently mocked.

John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, said China lures African governments into expensive infrastructure projects that hide the true costs those countries are eventually saddled with. Russia, he said, expands its political and economic influence “with little regard for rule of law” or transparent governance.

The Trump administration has slashed foreign aid to Africa and other parts of the world, and is threatening to cut support for United Nations peacekeeping missions, many of which operate in Africa.

Still, Bolton insisted the prosperity and security of Africa is vital to U.S. interests, especially because poverty fuels terrorism. He complained that past administrations have spent billions in Africa with nothing to show for it.

But even as he criticized China and Russia for exploiting the continent, he vowed that the U.S. would put its interests first in dealing with the region.

“Under our new approach, every decision we make, every policy we pursue, and every dollar of aid we spend will further U.S. priorities in the region,” Bolton said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington that has advised the Trump team on foreign policy.

“The United States will no longer provide indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent, without focus or prioritization,” Bolton said. “And we will no longer support unproductive, unsuccessful and unaccountable U.N. peacekeeping missions.”

Speaking to reporters after the speech, Bolton declined to offer dollar figures for aid, trade or other economic plans. The State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development gave Africa approximately $8.7 billion last year.