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The US is closely monitoring China's expanding role in Africa, the latest secret US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks reveal.
A cable from February quotes a senior US official in the Nigerian capital, Lagos, describing China as "aggressive and pernicious".
However, the official says the US does not consider China a military, security or intelligence threat.
He describes China as "a very aggressive and pernicious economic competitor with no morals".
"China is not in Africa for altruistic reasons," he says. "China is in Africa primarily for China."
He adds: "A secondary reason for China's presence is to secure votes in the United Nations from African countries."
He argues that China is not seen in Washington as a military or security threat at the moment. But he says there are, what he calls "tripwires" in Africa for the US when it comes to China.
"Have they signed military base agreements? Are they training armies? Have they developed intelligence operations? Once these areas start developing then the US will start worrying," he says.
Another US cable talks about China's military and intelligence support for the government of Kenya.
A Chinese enterprise is said to have won a contract to supply telephone monitoring equipment to Kenya after bribes were paid while on a trip to China.
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