On International Reporters Roundtable:

Suddenly, all eyes are on Africa. First Lady Jill Biden on a diplomatic tour of Kenya and Namibia. Contested Nigerian elections all over Twitter. China and Russia conducting joint military exercises with South Africa. Why all this attention? What makes Africa so essential to the global power balance at this time?

Well, its 54 countries make up 28% of the United Nations. With strategic sea and air ports, abundant land and mineral resources, corrupt elections and leaders, and a growing population, it’s ripe for the picking, it seems, in China’s eyes.

Journalists Pearl Matibe, Sargis Sangari, and Douglas Burton join us to discuss the increasing tactical importance of Africa, how China is using it to fuel its ambitions, and how the US is responding.