In the debate over strengthening ties between China and Africa, trade relations are often boiled down to China’s insatiable hunger for African oil and minerals. China’s friends say this is a gross oversimplification, but the latest chart of the week (after the break) shows it’s not unreasonable. Exports from sub-Saharan Africa to China lack diversity: 89 per cent last year were oil, minerals and other raw materials. The value of exports has grown at a staggering rate over the past decade - from $4.2bn in 2000 to $38bn in 2009 - but the high proportion of primary goods has not changed. Two things, however, get less recognition: the high concentration of exports from just a few African countries, and the nature of the trade in the opposite direction.
在有關加強中非關係的辯論中，貿易關係往往歸結於中國對非洲石油和礦物難以饜足的渴求。中國的朋友們表示，這種說法過於簡單化，但本週公佈的最新圖表顯示，這並非沒有道理。