In the race for African passport stamps, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil has nosed ahead of Hu Jintao, president of China, having visited 19 African countries in eight trips since coming to power in 2003, writes Jack Farchy in London .
But in economic terms, Africa’s relationship with China remains its most significant among the emerging Bric nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China). The value of trade between Africa and China jumped to $107bn in 2008, from $4.1bn in 1992, making it the continent’s second-largest trade partner after the US, Chinese companies have been investing aggressively in African natural resources, especially oil.
As a bloc, Bric trade with Africa has increased as a proportion of all the continent’s trade from 4.6 per cent in 1993 to more than 19 per cent in 2008. Economists at Standard Bank estimate that by 2030 almost 50 per cent of Africa’s trade will be with the Brics.