{
  "id": 15889911,
  "title": "Africa doesn’t have to 'pick sides' between US and China",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/africa-doesnt-have-to-pick-sides-between-us-and-china",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-21T12:39:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Semafor",
    "slug": "semafor",
    "url": "https://www.semafor.com/article/10/21/2026/africa-doesnt-have-to-pick-sides-between-us-and-china-says-leslie-maasdorp"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "International development finance bodies are striving to avoid being pinned to either the US or China, despite geopolitical pressures, according to the head of the UK's development finance organization. Leslie Maasdorp, speaking at a Semafor World Economy Global Leaders Dinner in Bangkok, highlighted the complexity of the global development finance landscape. While Western-led bodies like his own, British International Investment, may inadvertently align with different values than China, promoting clean energy has made it impractical to sever ties with Chinese firms due to their dominance in the sector. This perspective contrasts with the stance of the US Development Finance Corporation, which has expressed a desire to bolster US-aligned infrastructure, particularly in the tech sector, emphasizing that bypassing US-friendly networks would be unwise.",
  "summary": "The head of the UK’s development finance body added that prioritizing clean power made it impossible to remove Chinese firms from supply chains.",
  "key_points": [
    "Leslie Maasdorp, head of UK's development finance organization, speaks at Semafor event.",
    "Clean energy makes severing ties with Chinese firms impractical.",
    "US Development Finance Corporation seeks US-aligned infrastructure."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}