ABSTRACT
In November 2006, China invited African leaders to Beijing, where President Hu Jintao (1942-) announced a broad aid package including $5 billion in new loans, debt relief, and technical assistance. China’s interest in Africa has skyrocketed in recent years, and it has become Africa’s third largest trading partner after the United States and France. China’s trade with Africa has increased from $14.6 billion in 2000 to nearly $40 billion in 2005, with estimates that it could reach $100 billion by 2010. China has also invested heavily in infrastructure, including railroads in Nigeria and Angola, roadways in Rwanda, and Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia. China’s interest in Africa is fueled by its appetite for fuel and raw materials. Angola and Sudan alone provide China with 25 percent of its oil imports.1
