By Carlos Tejada (Beijing)—Chinese state media lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday in the midst of her six-nation African tour, illustrating the struggle for influence between the U.S. and China over the resource-rich region.
In an unusually combative commentary on Friday, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency accused Mrs. Clinton of trying to undermine political and economic ties between Beijing and African governments that have grown stronger in recent years. Xinhua said her trip there “is aimed at least partly at discrediting China’s engagement with the continent and curbing China’s influence there.
“Her remarks betrayed an attempt to drive a wedge between China and Africa for the U.S. selfish gain.”
Xinhua cited remarks by Mrs. Clinton in Senegal on Wednesday. Speaking before Senegalese leaders, Mrs. Clinton said the U.S. was offering to the region “a model of sustainable partnership that adds value rather than extracts it. That’s America’s commitment to Africa.”
