China played the long game in Latin America. Africa is America's next test

The United States cannot compete with China in Africa through occasional diplomatic visits and mineral deals alone. It needs a durable economic strategy that treats African countries as partners, not prizes.

China’s rise in Latin America should have taught Washington a lesson that extends far beyond the Western Hemisphere: strategic influence is rarely built in a single dramatic move. It accumulates through trade, infrastructure, finance, technology, and relationships that deepen over years.