Chinese President Hu Jintao Thursday arrived to Mali in Western Africa on his fourth visit to the continent, which will bring him to Senegal, Tanzania and Mauritius, too, BBC online reports.
Chinese officials are trying to change the perception that they are only interested in Africa because of its abundant natural resources. China is getting oil from Angola and Sudan, and minerals from Zambia, DR Congo and many others.
But China is also heavily involved in infrastructure projects in Africa, some with aid from the Chinese government. In Mali, for example, the Chinese paid for the presidential palace and are building a hospital and a bridge in the capital, Bamako.
China is Africas third largest trading partner. Bilateral trade reached 106 billion US dollar in 2008, a jump of 45 per cent from the previous year. However, as the economic crisis deepens, Chinas imports from Africa dropped 30 per cent in January compared with last December.
Wen Jiabao has already pledged that China will not cut aid to Africa or backtrack its promise to waive debts owned by more than 30 poor African countries.
