China has been wooing Africa on many fronts. Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, has just completed the third top-level tour of Africa in less than six months, following visits by Li Zhaoxing, foreign minister, and Hu Jintao, president.

Many African nations now pin hopes on the fulfilment of promises by a nation they view as a model of rapid development. Since the start of the new millennium trade has quadrupled, and is tilted in Africa's favour. In the first four months China's imports from Africa, mainly oil, were up by half on the same period last year