After I questioned Linda Thomas-Greenfield this morning about her embrace of China in a Confucius Institute speech, some said her praise of the Chinese Communist Party was a one-off.

No it wasn't.

Let’s go to the archives.

In 2006, at the State Department, Thomas-Greenfield said she was not concerned about China's growing power in Africa.

https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2006/67466.htm

On July 24, 2013, Thomas-Greenfield told the Senate, "I do not see us as competing" with China in Africa.

https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/072413_Transcript_Nominations%20of%20ThomasGreenfield_Entwistle_Haslach_Bridety_Sullivan_Gaspard.pdf

In October 2013, she said it again.

Here's video.

In May 2014, Thomas-Greenfield said she was not concerned about China buying its way into controlling Africa, that African leaders should work to get the best possible deal with China, and in fact we were also "working closely with the Chinese."

And then in March 2019, Thomas-Greenfield again said she did not see the U.S. as competing with China for influence in Africa and with African leaders and that our role was "to ensure that they have the capacity to strike and negotiate better deals with the Chinese."