The United States is the best partner for African nations “without strings attached” but it will not force African nations to choose its partnership over Russia or China, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNN.

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“We think we’re the best, we think we offer opportunities consistent with your [Africa’s] values of freedom and democracy, and so we want to be the partner that you choose to work with,” Secretary Raimondo told CNN’s Larry Madowo in an exclusive interview in Nairobi.

She spoke on the sidelines of the AmCham Business Summit after meeting Kenyan President William Ruto during her first official trip to Africa.

Anti-Western sentiment

Like many other African nations, Kenya has deep ties with China, which has funding projects and major infrastructure projects across the continent.

Russia is also making fresh inroads into the continent, capitalizing on anti-Western sentiment in some nations to profit from arms sales and natural resources.

Secretary Raimondo addressed the criticism that African nations dislike ‘lectures’ from the US and its European allies about democracy and human rights, and many prefer dealing with China or Russia that don’t make similar demands.

Raimondo said the US is coming to Africa “without strings attached,” saying she had brought more than a dozen businesses to the Nairobi summit.

“I just met with President Ruto, and we had a fantastic meeting. I said to him: we’re not here to lecture, we’re here to partner, we’re here to learn from you, we’re here to invest, in your people and in your country,” she said.