US should be objective on China-Africa investment: Beijing

The US needs to reconsider its attitude to Chinese investment in Africa, the foreign ministry said here Wednesday after President Barack Obama claimed his country would be a better partner for Africa than China.

"We hope the United States, the largest developed country in the world, can play a greater role in supporting the development of African nations," Xinhua quoted ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying as saying and urging it to look at China's development and investment in Africa in an objective and rational manner.

Obama argued during the US-Africa Leaders Summit that his administration has a long-term interest in Africa's success and is not simply seeking to extract resources for its own purposes.

The spokeswoman said Chinese investment has played a positive role in Africa in improving social and economic development, strengthening self-development capacity, improving people's livelihood and eradicating poverty.

"China's African policy has always featured sincerity, friendship, equal treatment, mutual benefit and common development," Hua said. "This is the fundamental reason why China-Africa cooperation is welcomed by African countries and people."