To counter China's growing influence in Africa, Washington has once again pressured African nations - but this approach appears ineffective. According to Kenya's The Standard on Sunday, US Senator Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed "concern" over Kenya's deepening ties with China, particularly in light of Kenyan President William Ruto's declaration that Kenya and China are co-architects of a new world order. Risch even called for a "reassessment" of the US relationship with Kenya.
Risch's remarks quickly drew a firm response from Nairobi. Nelson Koech, chairman of Kenya's National Assembly Defense, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committee, called the US senator's comments "very unfortunate," adding, "We are widening our diplomatic space - as every nation has the right to do." Kenya's president was even more blunt. According to Kenya's Tuko News, Ruto stated that deepening ties with China was intentional and in the nation's best interest, ''even if that upsets traditional allies like the US.''
China's steady cooperation with African countries seems to have hit a nerve with some US politicians. According to the South China Morning Post, Risch even suggested reassessing whether the US should retain Nairobi's Major Non-NATO Ally status. This "threat" clearly aims to use Kenya's ally status as leverage to force the country to choose between China and the US.
Sun Yuzhou, associate professor of modern African and global history in the Department of History at Fudan University, told the Global Times that it is unrealistic for the US to expect Kenya to distance itself from China based on mere "threats." "First, Kenya has a long-standing non-aligned foreign policy and is reluctant to get caught in great-power rivalry. Second, in terms of practical cooperation, although the US claims military 'collaboration,' China's trade complementarity with Kenya better meets the country's real development needs," Sun said.
Regarding the so-called threat to revoke Kenya's "Major Non-NATO Ally" status, Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that even if it happens, the symbolic meaning outweighs the practical impact. Kenya only received this status during Ruto's US visit in May 2024 under the Biden administration. Even if revoked, this one-year-old status would have limited direct impact on the two countries' security cooperation; however, it exposes the US' inconsistent policy toward Africa, ultimately damaging its own credibility and influence there.
From threatening Kenya to choosing sides and imposing sweeping tariffs that hurt African economies, the US Africa strategy follows one logic: treating Africa as a wrestling ground for major-country rivalry or coercing African countries into tools used to curb and attack other countries' cooperation with Africa. For a long time, Africa has been at the bottom of US' global strategy. However, the US is now paying more attention to Africa because of its resource wealth, which is becoming a key part of Washington's plan to diversify critical mineral supply chains. Yet Washington seems more intent on "pushing out China" than creating new development opportunities for Africa. An African scholar noted, "The 'Western benevolence' approach no longer works; Africans could be closing their doors to the US."
US pressure on African countries to "take sides" only strengthens Africa's resolve for independent development. Amid the US-triggered global trade war, fragile African economies face new risks, prompting many to actively pursue trade diversification and reduce dependence on the US. For Africa, whether looking east or west, the true test lies in achieving genuine development. As China-Africa cooperation yields substantial results, African countries are well aware of America's colonial-style "empty promises."