December 14, 2022

President Joe Biden delivered a simple message Wednesday to a group of African leaders gathered for a high-stakes Washington summit: the United States hasn’t forgotten about you.

Addressing the heads of state from nearly 50 African nations gathered for the three-day summit, Biden took steps to begin repairing the trust with a continent that has felt abandoned by the United States — with Russia and, in particular, China stepping in to fill the void.

Biden did not call out China by name, but much of his speech was squarely aimed at starting a continental competition with that other global superpower, which has invested billions upon billions in Africa. But Biden also tried to prove a U.S. commitment to help create sustainable success on a continent home to 1.3 billion people.

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