Nothing could be further from the truth

I laughed it off when news came last week that US President Barack Obama had made pointed remarks about China's activities in Africa and played up the United States' role on the continent.

Obama said "we don't look to Africa simply for its natural resources, we recognize Africa for its greatest resource, which is its people and its talents and their potential". But he also admitted that the US trade with the continent is only equal to its trade with Brazil and "we still do the vast majority of our trade with just three countries - South Africa, Nigeria and Angola. It's still heavily weighted towards the energy sector".

I laughed off Obama's words because as a Washington correspondent, I know just how good US politicians are in distracting attention from the real issues. And if you've traveled in Ethiopia as I did in the past more than a week, China's positive presence in Africa, fueled by China's optimism of the continent's future, is more than obvious.