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Hu sews up African trip

Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) headed home yesterday after completing a 12-day, eight-nation tour of Africa where he spread Beijing's largesse and rejected criticism that China is milking the world's poorest region through unequal trade.

The visit to the Seychelles, which began on Friday, was the last stop in Hu's trip, his third visit to Africa since taking office in 2003.

A primary goal of Hu's trip was to continue building economic and political ties with resource-rich Africa, increasingly important for fueling China's growth.

Before Hu began the tour in Cameroon on Jan. 30 China announced it would write off debts owed by 33 African countries as part of a multi-billion-dollar pledge made last year to help fast-track the continent's development.

On each stop in Africa Hu announced loans and grants, as well as signing deals to boost trade, which reached US$55.5 billion last year, according to official Chinese figures.

Hu consistently stressed throughout his tour that Africa had as much to benefit as China from the burgeoning relationship which has seen trade between Beijing and the continent triple in the last five years.

During a keynote speech in South Africa, which is China's largest trading partner in Africa, Hu said his country would "certainly not do anything harmful to the interests of Africa and its people."

He said almost a century of foreign exploitation in China by Western powers had permanently scarred Beijing and therefore it was against any form of "colonialism" or "slavery."

"China and Africa have extensive common ground and a fine tradition of cooperation on major international issues. It serves our shared interest to strengthen coordination in international affairs," he said.

China's courting of Africa has caused tremors in the West in recent years as Chinese influence there has risen significantly.

While Western businesses have seen Chinese firms secure contracts to exploit Africa's resources, human rights groups and some governments have accused China of co-operating with regimes accused of human rights abuses.

Beijing's growing influence has also sparked resentment among workers in several countries, particularly in Zambia, where Chinese firms in the mining, textile and construction industries have been accused of paying low wages, lax safety standards and bringing in foreign workers.
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