Chinese president says China will increase imports from Africa to balance trade

(AP) Chinese President Hu Jintao promised Wednesday to increase imports from Africa, responding to fears about the trade deficit that increased as China pumped unprecedented aid, investment and loans into the poor but resource-rich continent.

Hu spoke in South Africa on the sixth stop of an eight-nation tour of the continent, where Beijing's pursuit of energy and mineral resources has boosted business but also raised fears about its support for nations condemned for human rights violations.

"China takes seriously the concerns about the imbalance in the structure in China-Africa trade," Hu said in an address at the University of Pretoria, promising "effective steps to address those concerns."

On Tuesday, Hu signed agreements on economic and technical cooperation in the mining and energy sectors and inaugurated a Web site to foster commercial ties.

China is an old friend of the African National Congress party of President Thabo Mbeki, which it supported while South Africa was under a racist white regime. It provided arms and military training for guerrilla fighters, university scholarships and diplomatic support in the international arena.

When South Africa achieved majority rule a decade ago, the new government switched sides from Taiwan and soon became China's biggest trade partner in Africa.

Trade between China and South Africa, the continent's economic powerhouse and a major gold producer, reached $240 million in the first 11 months of 2006, an increase of 34.5 percent over the previous year.

But there has been growing criticism of increasing Chinese domination and aid with infrastructure projects tied to Chinese companies and labor.

South African trade unions have complained that Chinese textile imports have cost some 100,000 jobs in the domestic industry. This forced both governments to agree to restrict imports.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Guijin said this week that China was ready to fund programs that would help create jobs, including in training, capacity building and agricultural development.

"We in Africa like the investment side and China's hassle-free loans, but the trade issue can become very problematic," said Eric Skosana, an information sciences student among dozens who crowded outside the capacity-filled auditorium where Hu addressed nearly 1,500 people.

Accountant student Alvin Kee, whose parents emigrated to South Africa from Hong Kong, said "I can see China being good for Africa. People think they are coming just for our resources, but they also are coming for development and increasing trade."

Hu already has visited Cameroon, Liberia, Sudan, Zambia and Namibia and leaves Wednesday for Mozambique before heading to the Seychelles. His trip has focused on boosting trade ties and ensuring aid pledges made at last year's China-Africa summit are realized, including reducing debt, increasing aid and cutting import tariffs.

Human rights activists in Namibia and opposition politicians in South Africa objected to China's support for corrupt governments accused of human rights abuses, such as those in Zimbabwe and Sudan.

China has been criticized for blocking U.N. resolutions against Sudan, Beijing's third largest supplier of oil, whose troops and government-funded militia are blamed for killings of more than 200,000 people in Darfur.

The opposition Democratic Alliance urged Mbeki to "ensure that if China is to play a large economic role in Africa, it must not be at the expense of good governance and sound human rights practices."

Mbeki said Tuesday that Hu's visit _ his second to South Africa _ "emphasizes the determination on both sides to develop relations."

"China is one of our most critical, most important economic partners globally," Mbeki said.