ADDIS ABABA, (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said today that African countries should weigh Chinese loans carefully, while adding that Washington was not trying to keep Chinese investment away from the continent. The top U.S. diplomat may also seek to smooth relations after U.S. President Trump reportedly dismissed some African nations as “shithole countries” in January. “We are not in any way attempting to keep Chinese dollars from Africa,” Tillerson told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital during his first diplomatic trip to the continent. Tillerson took that line today, saying that Chinese investments “do not bring significant job creation locally” and criticised how Beijing structures loans to African government. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, visiting Zimbabwe today, told reporters he did not think it was appropriate for Tillerson to criticize China’s relationship with African countries.

Source: Ethiopian News March 08, 2018 10:52 UTC