U.S. President Barack Obama completed his first extended trip to Africa on July 3. He stopped in three African nations - Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. This was his first visit to Sub-Saharan Africa as president, except for a brief stop in Ghana in 2009. Zhang Zhongxiang, Deputy Director of the African Studies Center at Shanghai Normal University, believes that Obama's visit to Africa was aimed at deepening the relationship between America and Africa, and that competition with emerging economies in Africa was also one of the reasons for the visit. Excerpts of his thoughts follow:

With the world economic recovery under way, Africa is working to revive strong growth, aided by booming cooperation with emerging economies that is boosting the continent's economic development. This growth is shown in the IMF figures, released in January of this year: During 2012, the Sub-Saharan African economy grew by 4.8 percent. The IMF projects that growth in Sub-Saharan Africa will reach 5.8 percent in 2013 and 5.7 percent in 2014, higher than the global average. It is generally considered that the 21st century will be "Africa's century" and that Africa could be the next engine of global economic growth. It was against this background that Obama made his week-long trip.

Obama had disappointed many Africans by spending only a few hours in Sub-Saharan Africa (briefly visiting Ghana) during his first term, so he has sought to make up for lost time on this trip, as Africa plays an important part in the U.S. global strategy. Over the years, the United States has launched a series of initiatives relating to Africa as part of its attempts to strengthen its influence in Africa. The most significant initiative unveiled during Obama's trip is Power Africa. As part of this initiative the U.S. president pledged $7 billion to help combat the frequent power outages that plague Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the International Energy Agency estimates that achieving universal access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 would require $300 billion, so the $7 billion that Obama has promised is far from enough.

President Obama also used his tour to promote democracy and good governance as facilitators of economic development in Africa. He conspicuously avoided visiting Kenya, the birthplace of his father, most likely because Kenya's newly-elected President Uhuru Kenyatta is facing criminal charges from the International Criminal Court.

But the real message sent by Obama's trip is that America is moving to counter the growing influence of emerging economies on the African continent. American media generally agree that while America dithered, or was tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan, China has been establishing itself in the world's next fast growing region.

Although Obama has said that it is good that China, India, Brazil, Turkey and other emerging countries are attaching importance to Africa, he criticized China's involvement in Africa, saying that the nation's primary interest is in obtaining access to Africa's natural resources to feed Chinese manufacturers pursuing export-driven operations. Statements like this show that the core reason for this trip was to build new cooperative partnerships with Africa and to undercut Chinese influence on the continent. In addition, the president announced that he would host a summit for all African leaders in Washington next year, a clear signal that he is attempting to emulate, as well as counter, China's involvement in Africa.

Although Obama aims to build new cooperative partnerships with Africa, in truth, his Africa policy is unlikely to differ much from his predecessor's. It is also notable that there has been a substantial reduction in the amount of U.S. assistance offered to the continent, which is undoubtedly a result of the U.S. financial crisis and its domestic debt.

In addition, the United States, unlike China, is not likely to treat Africans as equals, which will make it more difficult to achieve Obama's goal of initiating new cooperative partnerships with Africa.

Meanwhile, Africa remains dissatisfied with the current U.S. military involvement on the continent. The presence of the U.S. Africa Command on the continent in recent years and American unmanned drones based in Djibouti, Seychelles and Ethiopia are all troubling to the continent. During Obama's trip to Africa, angry protesters burned the U.S. flag and Obama's portrait in South Africa. Unfortunately, this trip is unlikely to bring change and end the disappointment that many Africans feel toward the United States. CA