China faces charges of colonialism in Africa

International Herald Tribune: "BEIJING: Twice in the past three years, President Hu Jintao of China has been greeted warmly in Africa as the leader of a growing economic and political power. But on his new trip, Hu faces bumpier going, with skepticism growing about China's role in Africa.

The itinerary for the eight-nation, 12- day tour to begin Tuesday demonstrates both the scope and the pitfalls of Chinese influence. Included are stalwart allies like South Africa and Zambia, although both are places where protests and criticisms about Chinese motives have arisen recently, and new friends like Liberia, where China is hunting for oil and supplying peacekeepers.

And no stop illustrates the challenges as starkly as Sudan. In recent weeks, Hu has come under pressure from the United States and Ban Ki Moon, the new secretary general of the United Nations, to use Chinese leverage as a major consumer of Sudanese oil to get Khartoum to resolve the crisis in the Darfur region, where civil strife has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million people, according to UN estimates.

Beijing has raised expectations that it is heeding the message, calling on Sudan to cooperate with the United Nations to find a solution" MORE.