Hu Jintao starts Africa tour with

The Chinese president, Hu Jintao, begins a tour of Africa today to further encourage Beijing's burgeoning trade with the continent while reassuring leaders China will do more than buy up its oil and minerals.

Mr Hu offered a sweetener immediately before leaving for Cameroon, the first of eight countries on his 11-day tour, by announcing $3bn (£1.5bn) in credit to African countries along with additional aid and interest-free loans. China emphasised that the new money comes with none of the "political conditions" attached to aid from western governments.