Biden dodges questions about Hunter on first visit by a US president to Angola

President Joe Biden arrived Tuesday in Angola, an African country he promised to visit last year after the U.S.-Africa summit. Biden hopes to reinforce Western presence in the country, where Russia and China have big ambitions for international expansion and consolidation in Africa.

Biden and his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, discussed U.S. investments in the African country. Several U.S. companies are committed to building a rail link in the Lobito Corridor connecting Zambia, DR Congo and Angola. This project is similar to what China has done in other countries in the region, therefore in direct competition with Beijing.

The United States is interested in strengthening Angola's mining infrastructures and supply contracts with the companies operating there, with the aim of not having to depend on China to extract metals and other mineral resources such as cobalt.

The visit comes shortly after Beijing announced restrictions on exports of key materials essential for manufacturing electronic semiconductors to the United States. This move follows similar actions taken by Washington on Monday against China. According to AFP, the affected materials include gallium, antimony and germanium.

Biden dodges question about pardoning Hunter

The president met the press that will accompany him on the trip along with the Angolan president. At that time, the media asked him several questions regarding his decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, which the president completely dodged.

According to AP, he dismissed the questions "with a laugh" during his passage through the presidential palace in Luanda. Biden then told the Angolan delegation "welcome to America," in what could be either a metaphor, or another gaffe by the president.

Biden did not plan to take questions from the press during his trip to Africa, his press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters Monday, and has largely avoided any interaction with reporters since President-elect Donald Trump's victory last month.