Financial Times FT.com

Continent drives a harder bargain

By William Wallis and Tom Burgis

Published: June 14 2010 00:57 | Last updated: June 14 2010 00:57

If China’s courtship of Africa had been formalised in marriage, then the bride might be developing early symptoms of the seven-year itch.

The relationship is still evolving fast. The revival this year in two-way trade – after a dip during the global recession – and a flurry of prospective mineral and infrastructure deals, have underlined the central place that Chinese investment, financing and commodity demand are assuming in Africa’s future.

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