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Bush plays down US, China rivalry

US President George W. Bush denied yesterday that China was a "fierce competitor" of the US in Africa, amid worries in Washington and Europe about Beijing's growing presence.

"I don't view Africa as zero-sum for China and the United States. I think we can pursue agendas without creating a great sense of competition," Bush said during a joint press conference with Ghanaian President John Kufuor.

"Inherent in your question is `do I view China as a fierce competitor on the continent of Africa?' No, I don't," Bush told a reporter asking about the growing rivalry in investments and influence on the continent.

Bush is pushing trade and aid in Ghana, the latest stop on what he has dubbed his "mission of mercy" to Africa.

Bush got a ceremonial welcome yesterday in the West African nation, a stable democracy that gets US assistance to fight disease, build roads, train teachers and expand markets for its crops. Several thousand children in their school uniforms lined the streets of Accra and waved tiny Ghanian flags as Bush's motorcade made its 10-minute drive to Osu Castle, a centuries-old building that was once a hub of slave-trading and now is the seat of government.

Ghana has the kind of story Bush likes to promote: an African nation that has largely avoided ethnic clashes and played a busy peacekeeping role on the continent. Ghana has boosted its economy and cut its poverty markedly, although many people remain poor.

Compared with Tuesday in Rwanda, where Bush absorbed the history of that country's 1994 genocide, his agenda in Ghana had a decidedly lighter feel. He was due to eat lunch with Peace Corps volunteers, stop at an international trade fair that resembles a county fair back home and take in a T-ball game.

During a news conference, Bush is to announce an effort to combat neglected tropical diseases, a White House official said.

The US is a big trading partner of Ghana.

Bush is meeting with Ghanaian President John Kufuor, an Oxford-educated leader who came to power about the same time Bush did. Kufuor is given credit here for economic reforms, open government and regional leadership. Ghana, working through the UN, has sent peacekeepers to Lebanon, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Pakistan and the Balkans. That record is sure to win favor from Bush.

The US president is in Africa for six days to showcase US generosity and put a human face on foreign aid. His initiatives -- with backing from Congress -- have reduced cases of malaria and HIV/AIDS, expanded education and built up infrastructure in Africa.

Those helpful efforts are overshadowed in the US by the unpopular Iraq war, Bush's feuds with lawmakers, and other woes that have dragged down his approval rating.

Ghana received more than US$55 million in development aid from the US last year. It won approval in 2006 for a five-year, US$547 million anti-poverty aid package from the US.

Bush was due to cap his night in Ghana with a formal state dinner, then he is off to Liberia before flying back to Washington.
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