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.