ABSTRACT

In November 2006, China invited African leaders to Beijing, where President Hu Jintao 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. China has become Africa’s leading trading partner, having increased bilateral trade from $14.6 billion in 2000 to over $100 billion in

2010.1 China has invested heavily in African infrastructure, including railroads in Nigeria and Angola, roads in Rwanda, and Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia (see Figure 5.1). China’s interest in Africa is fueled by its appetite for fuel and raw materials like timber and copper, and Angola and Sudan alone provide China with 25 percent of its oil imports.