US efforts won't affect cooperation: Experts

Friendly relations and cooperation between China and Africa will not be encroached upon even as the United States has tried in recent years to counter China's influence on the continent, experts have said.

Kenyan President William Ruto last week visited the White House, the first state visit by an African president since 2008, reflecting the importance of a continent that is home to 1 billion people and nurtures close trade ties with China, but ranks behind on Washington's agenda, Reuters commented.

US President Joe Biden pledged to designate Kenya as the first sub-Saharan African country to be a major non-NATO ally. The two countries also agreed on other cooperations, including supporting Kenya's semiconductor industry.