Africa should set terms to engage with West, China

US President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a “Summer Soiree” held on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, US, on June 4, 2025. 

Photo credit: Reuters

As East African leaders scramble to engage Washington over looming trade and immigration policy shifts, the Trump administration’s intentions are becoming increasingly clear.

Behind the façade of human rights concerns and anxieties about China’s growing influence lies a transactional and coercive strategy.