Ralph Jennings

There could be a few strangers at the party when the China-Africa Summit opens on Friday — a rebel group of five countries with formal ties to Beijing’s diplomatic rival, Taiwan. China has invited representatives of the five — Gambia, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Swaziland and São Tomé and Príncipe — to attend the summit as observers, although it is still not sure if they are coming.