President Joe Biden has sparked a heated controversy with shocking statements that have further eroded public trust in his already damaged party. blanket pardon Sunday for my son Hunter.
Biden fled the controversy by flying to Angola, one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
Biden traveled to Angola within hours of pardoning his son for all known and yet-to-be-disclosed crimes spanning a decade. he refused to answer questions about the pardon from reporters while in Cape Verde.
WATCH — Joe Biden lands in Angola immediately after pardoning Hunter Biden:
According to Corruption Perceptions Index 2023 prepared by transparency international (TI), Angola ranks 121st among the 180 most corrupt countries.
Angola is spread Nepotism, cronyism, bribery, and conflicts of interest are particularly problematic in real estate, energy, and mining. Powerful individuals and corporations routinely pay into the judicial system to avoid prosecution. Many of Angola's municipalities have no court system at all. For Angolan elites, it is cheaper and easier to pay bribes to avoid taxes than to pay taxes.
Just two weeks ago in England imposed Heavy sanctions against Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of former President José Eduardo dos Santos, in a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption and money laundering. Dos Santos has been under investigation by numerous countries since his father's 38-year reign ended in 2017. Dos Santos maintains that all charges against her are a political fabrication, but international anti-corruption activists point to her as a textbook example. Kleptocracy.
Also in Angola big problem There are also issues of slavery and human trafficking, and the Biden State Department acknowledged that the Angolan government has made progress on these issues over the past few years. The Ministry of Labor was not so keen and only gave Angola lukewarm applause For making “modest progress” against the use of child labor in mining, agriculture and construction.
President Biden clearly wanted his presidential visit to Angola to be “historic” as he is the first US president to visit Angola and his only trip to Africa during his presidential term. Initial media releases touted the trip as an effort to strengthen the Biden administration's competition with China and Russia for influence in West Africa.
Unfortunately for the outgoing president, he left a far greater mark in the history books with his full pardon for Hunter Biden. Coverage was generally weak on Monday, including Biden's visit. drawn Rather, as a last ditch effort or desperate attempt to save Africa's 'heritage'. The fact that Biden avoided a trip to Africa throughout his term, despite pledging to do so almost two years ago, sends a bigger message than his avoidance of a trip to Africa, which he finally demoralized in the final two months of his term. Sent.
One of Biden's main agenda items is a visit to the town of Lobito. The Biden administration is lavishing billions of dollars on an 835-mile railway linking cobalt, lithium and copper mines in Congo and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast ports. .
The “Lobito Corridor” project is charged This was the West's first serious attempt to offer African countries an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). it is not yet clear If the second Trump administration continues to fund the project. President Trump may be skeptical of a rail line that could benefit Chinese companies as much as U.S. national interests, and if the African mineral state follows through with plans to further develop domestic refining capacity. However, the Lobito Corridor will never reap the benefits that its planners had hoped. .
left wing new york times (New York Times) Monday spoke For ordinary Angolans who are keenly aware of China's huge infrastructure investments, but had no idea that the United States was funding the construction of their country's railways.
“Beijing has built flashy shopping malls and roads with Chinese logos and signs. Angolans say the Chinese have made their lives easier and created jobs. Rather than funding the project, it has sought to create the conditions to attract private investment, but it is unclear how long that will take or when Angolans will benefit from it in the first place. There are some people who are skeptical.” new york times I summarized it.
Some Angolans are so skeptical that they believe the much-vaunted Lobito Corridor project is just a way for Western companies to steal Africa's mineral wealth. The U.S. government is trying to counter this cynicism by promoting the railroad as an opportunity for Angolan farmers to transport their produce overseas at an affordable cost. To strengthen this claim, the United States implemented a program to teach Angolan farmers advanced agricultural techniques.
Proponents of the Lobito Corridor say the timing is opportune to make such a pitch, as China's economic downturn means less money can be poured into Africa, and developing countries are growing. , hopes to convince President Trump that the Lobito Corridor is an effective countermeasure against Chinese influence. Be wary of Chinese debt.
Biden's visit to Angola may have been intended to make it harder for Trump to leave the Lobito Corridor, but as Hunter Biden's pardon overshadows US coverage of Biden's Africa trip , Joe Biden may have just sabotaged his last chance to create “. “Heritage” in Africa.
