In advance of Premier Wen Jiabao’s upcoming trip to Africa, there has been a huge amount of coverage of China-Africa ties. From Business in Africa:
From copper in Congo to timber in Liberia, China has been looking to Africa more keenly in recent years for a wide range of natural resources. Meanwhile, the continent has become increasingly crowded with Chinese construction workers building highways, railways, ports, dams and hotels, while products bearing the “Made in China” label were becoming ubiquitous. Trade volume between China and Africa reached around $40bn in 2005, a rise of 35 percent from a year earlier and almost four times higher than in 2001.
China has done its best to further woo Africa this year, first sending Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing to Cape Verde, Senegal, Mali, Liberia, Nigeria and Libya in January this year. President Hu Jintao visited Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya in late April, with Wen’s trip the third high-level diplomatic mission to Africa in less than six months. [Full text]
For more on this topic, see:
– “Analysis: China eyes African oil” from UPI (via monstersandcritics.com)
– “China says it is a ‘benign force’ in Africa” from Mail & Guardian Online
– “China’s energetic wooing of Africa” from CNN.
– news from CDT
For more on China-Africa relations, see:
– “Chinese president invites African leaders to attend China-Africa summit” from People’s Daily
– “Zimbabwe: Ministries, Companies Seal More Deals in China” from the Herald (via AllAfrica.com).
– news from AllAfrica.com
– news from Google News
