As Africa presses on with industrialization and urbanization it is increasingly buying from China the machinery and consumer goods it needs to make these two things happen.
Trade between China and South Africa dropped sharply last year, mainly the result of declining international commodity prices.
The state visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Nigeria in May made a significant statement about Beijing's commitment to the country.
In 2009, China burst onto the African trade scene in full throttle, elbowing out both the European Union and the United States to become Africa's largest trading partner.
Since time immemorial African countries have been used to their main trading partners being their colonial masters. In recent years calls for developing countries to trade more among themselves have become louder and more insistent.
Both Tanzania and China are working to correct a trade imbalance that heavily favors Beijing, officials say.
China continues to be Rwanda's top trade partner, according to 2014 trade figures from the Rwanda Revenue Authority.
In her office in Kabete Technical Training Institute in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, Valerie Mbathe Kamanda proudly shows China Daily the sample of machine parts her students made.
Too much emphasis on theory and not enough on practical abilities often leaves vocational and technical students in Africa with a serious handicap in the job market, according to industry and education officials and students themselves.
Chinese engineers are overcoming obstacles of language and culture to help build a Kenyan team to work independently in the use and maintenance of Chinese engineering machinery.
With help from Chinese machinery makers, low-income Kenyan students are learning new job skills.
For about two decades, Africa has achieved rapid development with an average GDP growth rate at about 5 percent, yet there are some hindrances that have held back development.
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