HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – Some immigration signs at Zimbabwe’s main international airport are in Chinese, a sign of China’s deep economic inroads in Africa, which Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit this week.
Xi arrives Tuesday in Zimbabwe before heading on Wednesday to South Africa. There, he will attend a forum on cooperation between Africa and China, whose investment on the continent has soared in the past decade. Zimbabwe, whose economy is faltering, would like to get a bigger piece of it.
China’s overall trade with Africa topped $200 billion last year but has slowed over the past two years as the weakening Chinese economy demands fewer of the continent’s oil, copper and other raw materials.
Chinese-built roads, bridges and power installations are found across Africa, often paid for in resources or through loans from China that must eventually be repaid.
Along with those looming debts, some African nations have expressed anger over Chinese companies’ use of Chinese workers and other practices that fail to benefit local economies.