Clinton Seeks U.S. Africa Gains as China Expands Oil Purchases

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shifts to economic statecraft this week on an African tour that stops in major oil and mineral exporters as she seeks advantages for U.S. investors in a market where China is making inroads.

After six months of dealing with North Korean provocations, Iran’s election unrest and a coup in Honduras, Clinton will turn to issues of trade and energy in sub-Saharan Africa. She will spend time in Nigeria and Angola, two of the biggest suppliers of crude oil to the U.S.
China has boosted investment commitments in Africa, especially in mining, and Chinese oil purchases are expanding from countries such as Sudan. In 2007, China was the largest individual exporter to the region with a market share of 9.8 percent, the U.S. Commerce Department reported in July. The U.S. market share in 2007 fell to 5.3 percent in exports.

“China’s influence is increasing at the moment and, to some extent, African policy makers are looking to see what the American response will be,” said Derek Scissors, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington who tracks Chinese investment on the continent.

Johnnie Carson, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said any suggestion that Clinton is making such an extensive trip to counter China’s rise in Africa “is a Cold War paradigm, not a reflection of where we are.”

Bloomberg