How Has China Built Relations With African and South American Countries

Modern Sino-African relations between China and the African continent began in the 1950's when China signed a trade agreement with Algerian, Egypt, Guinea, Morocco and Sudan. Over time, the trading between China and African countries flourished, and in 1999, the total Sino-African trade volume was US$6.5 billion. However, by 2005, the total Sino-African trade had reached US$39.7 billion, and in 2006 it jumped to US$55 billion. Africa provides 1/3 of Chinese oil supplies, prompting a lot of Chinese investment in the energy sector in recent years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-African_relations