US President Joe Biden knows that his country's economic, diplomatic and security ties with Africa have fallen behind those of China. He wants to demonstrate that the US could be a "better partner."

Biden welcomed 49 African leaders to Washington for three days of meetings to discuss issues ranging from food security to climate change and health. He emphasized "shared success and opportunity" because, he said, "when Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds."

Biden announced an agreement that will give US companies access to the African Continental Free Trade Area. It is the world's largest such zone and has the potential to grow into a market worth more than 3 trillion dollars.

Biden saw US trade with Africa last year fall behind that of China by almost 200 billion dollars.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the Chinese approach to cooperation has been "equal-footed and mutually beneficial." He said the US needs to respect the aspirations of the African people and take action to advance their development, instead of "smearing and attacking other countries."

He added that China does not want to treat the continent as an "arena" for great powers to "compete with each other."