Despite Washington’s framing of a key railway network in Angola as a strategic counter to China, the CEO of the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) says the company is “a purely commercial entity” with “zero geopolitical considerations”. Nicholas Fournier, the newly appointed chief executive, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that the…
WASHINGTON — When U.S. President Joe Biden visits Angola in early December, he will put into focus his legacy infrastructure project aimed at securing crucial supply chains on the African continent. Called the Lobito Corridor, the project is the centerpiece of his administration’s strategy to counter China’s clout in global development. The Lobito Corridor is…
When Joe Biden arrives in Angola on Monday on his first African visit as US president, he is likely to land at a China-built airport and then be driven along a highway also built or financed by China. That goes to show how deep Chinese influence runs in Angola, where post-civil war reconstruction was largely…
Chinese presence in the South African country became apparent in 2002, when former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos invited Beijing to invest following the end of the 27-year Angolan civil war that devastated the country’s infrastructure and economy. Now, the United States is challenging the dominant Chinese foothold in the region, by betting on a…