Delegates from China's Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (Jisco) were nonplussed by the sight ofSouth African and Chinese mine managers on a stage singing Elvis Presley's "You were always on my mind".

But one member of the audience, Zhou Yuxiao, a senior Chinese diplomat, beamed with delight. He is trying to counter the impression in parts of Africa that China is engaged in a neo-colonial scramble for mineral resources.