ADDIS ABABA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Beijing is a better partner for Africa than Washington because Chinese investment has improved people's lives here, an Ethiopian expert said Thursday.

Abebe Aynete, a senior researcher with Ethiopian Foreign Relations Strategic Studies Institute, said the Chinese investment in infrastructure has brought changes in African countries that is "plain to see."

U.S. accusations about China-Africa cooperation is "detached from reality," Aynete said.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is on a five-nation African tour, was quoted by media as criticizing the way Beijing structured loans to African countries during his visit to the African Union headquarters in capital Addis Ababa on Thursday.

Tillerson also claimed that Chinese investments did not lead to significant job creation in Africa.

"The Chinese investment in Africa focuses on infrastructure, while the United States for a long time has focused on promoting its values. The choice is for Africans to decide who is a better partner," Aynete said.

"The statement from Tillerson comes from the fact (that) the United States fears that it has lost its influence on Africa to China," Aynete said.