Marine Gen. James Jones, military chief of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and head of the U.S. European Command, is worried about
growing Chinese influence in Africa. “It’s beyond question
that China is the most aggressive country economically in Africa,”
he tells reporters. China is seeking closer ties with nations in
the oil-rich continent, especially Sudan, to sate its rapidly increasing
appetite for energy, he added.
The United States needs to do more in the region, Jones says. He
quoted one African diplomat as saying: “We love the United
States. You’re always telling us what we should do. Now, China
is giving us the things that you say we need.” Beijing, Jones
says, is flooding the region with free scholarships in China and
aid both in the economic and military sectors. “It’s
something we have to worry about.”
Reported by Sandra I. Erwin and Harold Kennedy