From Financial Times:
The day before Hu Jintao, China’s president, set off on an eight-nation tour of Africa, his commerce ministry announced that the soft loans to be doled out en route would be “without political conditions”.
The ministry’s restatement on Monday of China’s well-settled position on aid was a pointed reminder that Beijing will continue to carve out its own path in Africa despite rising criticism in the west.
By the time Mr Hu completes his trip, Beijing’s top leaders will, in a 13-month period, have notched up visits to nearly half of the 48 African countries, out of a total of 53, with which it has diplomatic ties.[Full Text]
– Read also a wide variety of perspectives and reports on China’s role in Africa from the African press, via AllAfrica.com.
