The Futility of Pompeo’s Anti-China Message in Africa

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa on February 19, 2020. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / POOL / AFP

When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began his Africa trip in mid-February, it was clear that countering China’s influence on the continent was at the top of his agenda.

Yet from Senegal to Angola, he restrained himself from the hard-hitting attacks on China that have come to define his tenure as the U.S.’ top diplomat.

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by Ronald Kato

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