China's President Xi Jinping has orchestrated an ambitious soft power invasion of African economies that seeks cultural as well as trade ties.
Africa's trading partnership with China takes many forms
![Tanzanian women wait for China's President Xi Jinping to arrive at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, March 24, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/8E214096-B8FC-40EB-B490-04E2F93F0C21_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Tanzanian women wait for China's President Xi Jinping to arrive at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, March 24, 2013.
![A building rises behind a Chinese engineer on the skyline of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan in 2009.](https://gdb.voanews.com/E9C23C4D-1DD1-427C-A4FC-597F74EE7F49_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A building rises behind a Chinese engineer on the skyline of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan in 2009.
![The first lady of South Africa, Bongi Ngema, surveys the table during a March 26 official state lunch while seated with China’s president, Xi Jinping.](https://gdb.voanews.com/4EF07411-1B5D-4B3C-9A63-5A5E71689BDF_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The first lady of South Africa, Bongi Ngema, surveys the table during a March 26 official state lunch while seated with China’s president, Xi Jinping.
![China National Geological and Mining Corporation boosted Ivory Coast’s hope for increased manganese production after major investment in the Lauzoua mine in 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/D55F6FF5-684D-4604-ABC2-0D719C42A001_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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China National Geological and Mining Corporation boosted Ivory Coast’s hope for increased manganese production after major investment in the Lauzoua mine in 2013.