US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s first visit to Africa is ending early because of “pressing demands,” according to the State Department, cutting short what has proved to be a bumpy trip.
Tillerson reportedly missed days of activity in Nairobi, Kenya, after not sleeping for two nights, after President Donald Trump’s announcement on tariffs and surprise decision to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
“Due to demands in the secretary’s schedule he is returning to the US one day early, after concluding official meetings in Chad and Nigeria,” said Steve Goldstein, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.
Tillerson’s trip, which sought in part to repair any damage done by Trump’s reported use of vulgarity to refer to African countries, was met by criticism of the diplomat’s patronizing tone.
A round-up of some jabs at Tillerson, courtesy of Chinese state-owned Global Times:
The US has been continuously displaying behavior inappropriate for a superpower and world leader. During US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s Africa tour, he warned African nations not to “forfeit any elements of your sovereignty” into arrangements with China in his speech at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Ethiopia. AU chairman Moussa Faki responded, “I think the Africans are mature enough to engage in partnerships of their own volition which will be useful for the country.”
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, later criticized Tillerson’s diplomatic manner, saying, “It was not appropriate to criticize the relations of his hosts – when he was a guest there – with another country.”
Shortly before heading out on the trip, Tillerson took some shots at China’s involvement in Africa.
“The United States pursues, develops sustainable growth that bolsters institutions, strengthens rule of law, and builds the capacity of African countries to stand on their own two feet,” Tillerson told an audience at George Mason University in the US state of Virginia.
He added that the US model “stands in stark contrast to China’s approach, which encourages dependency using opaque contracts, predatory loan practices, and corrupt deals that mire nations in debt and undercut their sovereignty, denying them their long-term, self-sustaining growth.”
A nice photo!
What Tillerson accuses China of doing is exactly what the West has been doing to Africa for centuries……and not just Africa.
Bravo for Donald Trump. Nothing else has worked with past presidents so what’s to lose? Past position has been that a face to face meeting with the POTUS is supposed to be a honor to be bestow for proper behavior by NK leader. What nonsense.
Rex Tillerson: " The United States pursues, develops sustainable growth that bolsters institutions, strengthens rule of law, and builds the capacity of African countries to stand on their own two feet. "
Strengthening rule of law? Like in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Egypt, Sudan, …??? The moronic liar is insulting our as well as his own intelligence.
Allow me to correct his dishonest statement as follows:
"The United States pursues, develops unsustainable growth that bolsters Wall Street’s bloodsucking financial institutions and the MIC, strengthens arbitrary rule of law as the U.S. sees fit, and builds the capacity of African countries to stand on their own two feet, with no shoes, no shirts, no pants, no underwear, no food, and no roof."
He was just fired by Trump according to CNN. So that it why he is returning to US.
THE LAST PARAGRAPGH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE U.S. DOES THROUGH THE IMF AND WORLD BANK. AND GOLDMAN SACHS ET AL!!!!
Tillerson is a disengenuous piece of detritis.
What can one expect of an oil tycoon who is a typical American imperialist.