Xie Hong could hardly have imagined that the Confucius Institute in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, where she teaches Chinese, would be an important link for local overseas Chinese to trace their roots.
If one were to liken China-Africa relations to the traditional African stool, which has three legs that support the base on which people sit, then it would undoubtedly be economic, political and cultural ties that are the pillars.
China has a big surplus in commercial trade with the United States but a deficit in cultural exports. The Chinese know more about the US than Americans know about China.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang invoked an Ethiopian proverb to underline the importance of unity between countries. "When spiders' webs unite, they can tie up a lion," Li said, speaking at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa.
From building railways to constructing theaters, China has made major contributions to countries throughout Africa. A closer look at some:
Infrastructure in Ethiopia is expected to get a boost as China vowed to help upgrade the nation's power grid and road system. The pledge was part of a raft of deals signed by the two countries on May 4, hours after Premier Li Keqiang arrived at the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
Premier Li Keqiang and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn opened a major expressway at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 5 and promised further cooperation on transportation infrastructure.
China signed a slew of deals with Nigeria on May 7, including cooperation on landmark infrastructure projects, on the first full day of Premier Li Keqiang's visit to the African economic powerhouse.
China is encouraging its enterprises to increase investment in Nigeria's manufacturing sector, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said on May 7.
Premier Li Keqiang is on a four-nation visit to Africa, his first to the continent after assuming office
For generations, Angola epitomized some of the world's worst woes: poverty, disease, starvation, maimed people and creaking, run-down infrastructure.
The challenge for China to maintain GDP growth of about 7 percent has exercised minds worldwide over the past two or three years, and in Africa concerns about lower figures boil down to the fact that many of the continent's economic hopes are hitched to those of China.
Copyright 1995 - 2010 . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 20100000002731 
