Jintao in Africa

YAOUNDE – Chinese President Hu Jintao was to meet with his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya yesterday on the first full day of his 12-day tour of Africa to forge stronger ties on the resource-rich continent.

After a morning meeting with Biya, where the two were to sign a series of bilateral cooperation agreements, Hu was to visit a Chinese-funded hospital and a sports ground being built by a Chinese firm in the west African state. A gala dinner was scheduled for later yesterday.Hu’s trip marks the first visit by a Chinese president to Cameroon, with bilateral trade doubling last year to 338 million dollars, according to Chinese officials.The eight-nation tour, Hu’s third since he took power in 2003, reflects China’s strong economic interest in Africa, where Beijing is seeking raw materials and energy reserves to fuel its own roaring economic growth.However, Beijing’s policy there has drawn some concern in the West due to its close links with hardline regimes in countries such as Sudan and Zimbabwe.Oil-rich Sudan, scene of the ongoing brutal conflict in the Darfur region described by the United States as genocide, will be the third stop on Hu’s trip when he arrives in Khartoum on Friday.The visit to Sudan, where China is busy pumping oil, will provide Hu with an opportunity to add his voice to international calls for an end to the conflict.China, by far the biggest foreign economic player in Sudan, is seen as being in a position to persuade Khartoum to accept UN peacekeepers for Darfur, and expectations are high China will flex its diplomatic muscle as it seeks to burnish its international image.Nampa-AFPA gala dinner was scheduled for later yesterday.Hu’s trip marks the first visit by a Chinese president to Cameroon, with bilateral trade doubling last year to 338 million dollars, according to Chinese officials.The eight-nation tour, Hu’s third since he took power in 2003, reflects China’s strong economic interest in Africa, where Beijing is seeking raw materials and energy reserves to fuel its own roaring economic growth.However, Beijing’s policy there has drawn some concern in the West due to its close links with hardline regimes in countries such as Sudan and Zimbabwe.Oil-rich Sudan, scene of the ongoing brutal conflict in the Darfur region described by the United States as genocide, will be the third stop on Hu’s trip when he arrives in Khartoum on Friday.The visit to Sudan, where China is busy pumping oil, will provide Hu with an opportunity to add his voice to international calls for an end to the conflict.China, by far the biggest foreign economic player in Sudan, is seen as being in a position to persuade Khartoum to accept UN peacekeepers for Darfur, and expectations are high China will flex its diplomatic muscle as it seeks to burnish its international image.Nampa-AFP