No image available
/ 26 October 2007

China digs deeper into Africa with bank deal

China has served notice it is accelerating its investment drive in Africa towards full throttle with the planned ,6-billion cash purchase of a major stake in Standard Bank by Beijing’s biggest lender. China’s ICBC bank said on Thursday it is to buy 20% of Standard Bank, the biggest foreign acquisition by a Chinese commercial bank to date.

No image available
/ 21 October 2007

China’s Africa push: Who stands to benefit?

China’s push into Africa is prompting growing interest over Beijing’s motives in the world’s poorest continent, with opinion divided over who stands to benefit most. Speaking at the launch this week of a China research programme run by the Johannesburg-based South African Institute of International Affairs, its chief academic said China had ”changed the game of development”.