US President Biden reschedules Angola trip for December

 

US President Joe Biden speaks as First Lady Jill Biden applauds at an Italian American Heritage Month reception on October 16, 2024 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. [AFP]

US President Joe Biden will now visit Angola in early December after postponing his first-ever visit to sub-Saharan Africa to deal with hurricane recovery efforts at home, the White House said Wednesday.

Biden's trip will come a month after the US presidential election and will honour a commitment he made last year to visit the African continent before his current -- and now only -- term ends in January 2024.

He had been due to travel to oil-rich Angola from October 13 to 15 after travelling to Berlin but delayed both trips at the last minute as Hurricane Milton barreled towards Florida, where it killed at least 16 people.

"In the first week of December the president will travel to Angola, where he will celebrate the transformation of the US-Angola relationship," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing.

Biden would also hail Angola as a "strategic partner and regional leader" and hold talks with President Joao Lourenco to "increase our collaboration on security, health and economic partnership."

Angola is a linchpin in US efforts to counter growing Chinese and Russian influence across Africa.

The 81-year-old Biden's visit also comes as he seeks to shore up US alliances ahead of a possible return of Republican Donald Trump to the White House in January.

Biden and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris have repeatedly criticized Trump for alienating allies while cosying up to autocrats in Beijing and Moscow.

Biden has rescheduled his trip to Berlin for later this week and will discuss the war in Ukraine with European leaders.

Jean-Pierre said the Angola and Germany trips showed Biden's "unwavering commitment to revitalize these relationships for our shared security and prosperity."