Lobito Railway: Biden’s Visit to Angola is a statement to China

President Joe Biden’s visit to Angola marks the first visit of any leader from the United States to the Southern African country. This trip, which is among his last actions as US President, is a display of intent concerning US - Africa trade because US$2.3 billion for the Lobito Atlantic Railway and Port Infrastructure is quite the investment (well… until President Trump makes his feelings known about the project) 

Opinions on what the corridor represents have leaned more towards the United States meeting Chinese investments in the continent. Since 2007, China’s Foreign Direct Investment Flows have steadily increased and eclipsed the United States in 2013 according to the Chinese Africa Research Institute.

This is not to be confused with the U.S. Assistance to Africa, which has hovered around the US$8 billion mark for some time. However, those funds have mainly focused on health through the United States’ aid organisations and agencies.