At second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December, the American side made a general point of avoiding talk about China, even though the subject came up here and there. African leaders would not likely want to be seen as geopolitical pawns.

In 2015, much emphasis has been placed on a partnership between the African Union and China in order to accelerate the construction of the three major networks to help materialize the “century dream” of connecting all capital cities in Africa with high-speed railways. African economic integration calls for not only consensus and impetus from African countries, but also external investment to drive the process.

Was the recent U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Washington’s response to China’s growing role on the African continent? David H. Shinn, former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, explores this summit and its similarities to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.