Nations are free to make their own choices, even foolish ones.
With Obama as POTUS, I’m not surprised we are losing formerly friendly nations as partners. Obama has stabbed allies in the back - Israel, England, to just name two - and for now other nations are looking elsewhere.
China is trying hard to break out of its formerly isolationist shell, as that nation has rarely if ever extended its influence far beyond the area of near Asia.
We will see what happens, and most likely soon. China has over a billion people who need to keep working, otherwise the Chinese government (which is huge!) will not be sustained.
We live in interesting times.
China is in the position of manufacturing more than the US market could absorb, so it needs new markets. At the same time it needs natural resources to power the manufacturing, so it is looking in those places in particular.
Don’t forget that Indians have always had a significant and deeper presence in Africa than the Chinese.