United States President Joe Biden has pledged to designate Kenya as the country’s first key non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa as Kenyan President William Ruto makes a state visit to Washington, DC, to deepen ties between the two nations.

During a news conference at the White House on Thursday, Biden said he planned to work with Congress to give Kenya the largely symbolic title.

This week’s meetings, dubbed the Nairobi-Washington Vision, come amid Biden’s appeals to African nations that the US can be a better partner than China as Beijing deepens its investment in the continent, often through high-interest loans.

In the past year, Africa’s political landscape has been upended by a spate of military coups, wars and shaky elections that have given US rivals China and Russia more significant influence.

Here are excerpts of their press briefing