On the South Atlantic coastline, Angola stands out as rare ground on which the United States has been willing to vie with China for influence in Africa.It was the only country on the continent visited by former US president Joe Biden, albeit in the twilight of his term in December 2024.During the trip – the first by a sitting US president – Biden made the case for investment in the strategic Lobito Atlantic Railway.The administration of Biden’s successor, Donald Trump, also threw its weight behind the Lobito rail project.The railway links Angola’s Port of Lobito to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, providing the US with what it considers its own access route to critical mineral supplies from both countries.So far, the US has invested US$553 million in the project through its International Development Finance Corporation, the agency mainly charged with countering China’s economic influence around the world.