Chinese President Xi Jinping is arriving in Africa on a four-nation visit seeking deeper military and economic ties while his rival in a bitter trade war, the Trump administration, shows little interest in the continent. This is Xi’s first trip abroad since he was appointed to a second term in March with term limits removed, allowing him to rule for as long as he wants. That rang familiar to some of Africa’s long-entrenched leaders.
Xi stops in Senegal and Rwanda before attending a summit of the BRICS emerging economies in South Africa that starts on Wednesday. The summit comes amid the United States’ billion-dollar trade war with China and tough trade negotiations with other key economic partners. Last month the BRICS foreign ministers criticized a “new wave of protectionism.” AP
